If You Could See Me Now
by Alara Loumuth
Summary: Larissa is a fifteen year old witch from South Africa. She comes to Mystic Falls when Klaus calls her, asking for her help with some spells. Upon instruction, she befriends Jeremy and later Bonnie and company, while she and Klaus work together secretly. Will the others find out? And what is Klaus' plan for Larissa? AU, season 3
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries – please do not sue me. **

**Title – If You Could See Me Now**

**By: AlaraLoumuth**

Amount of words: 3 409

_**~theVDdiaries~**_

Chapter One

_Something is going to happen._

_I don't know when, how or even why. All I know is that something is going to happen, and it's not necessarily a good thing, just like it isn't necessarily a bad thing._

_All I know is that it will be life-changing. _

I was broken out of my thoughts when the bell rang, signalling the end of our school day. With a sigh I grabbed my messenger bag and stood to hurry out of the class. The push of bodies against me irritated me to no end, but luckily it only took me a few minutes until I was outside. I breathed in the fresh air deeply as I waited for my friends to arrive. The sad thing was that I had absolutely no friends in my class, seeing as I was the only one of my friends to take Afrikaans Home Language, which really sucked sometimes. It meant that I never had anyone to talk to, and that I barely got to see my friends during a school week. This was why we always met up for three hours on Thursday afternoons after school. Today was Thursday.

I had to admit that I was really excited. It was my friend Tayla's birthday tomorrow, and we were using today to celebrate it. This afternoon it would be just the four of us. Her official party with the hundreds of people attending would be on Saturday night.

I looked at my watch and sighed. I'd been waiting for twenty minutes now. Where the heck were they?

I was suddenly lifted up from the ground and I shrieked, struggling in my captor's arms. I jabbed my elbow into his ribs and his arms around me immediately loosened. My captor let out a breathless laugh and ruffled my hair, immediately letting me know who it was.

"Gabriel," I complained as he sat me down on the ground again. "What was that for?"

Gabriel chuckled and spun me around to face him. His curly black hair was blowing around in the light breeze and his blue eyes twinkled happily as he glanced down at me. "You've shrunken, Larissa," he noticed with surprise. "Like, one hand."

I glared up at him. It was true; I was about one hand shorter than him. But it wasn't because I shrunk! "You just grew, Gabby," I pointed out. I frowned and added sourly, "I saw you last week and you weren't this tall. It's so unfair!"

Gabriel rolled his eyes at me. He then looked around us at the surprisingly empty school grounds. "Where's everyone?" he asked me hesitantly.

I frowned as I too saw that we were completely alone at our school. Not a single soul was in sight, not even the teacher's cars that were supposed to be parked in their usual spots. A sudden chill ran through my body and I hugged my school blazer to my body. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up, letting me know that someone was watching me. Watching us.

"This is weird," I whispered, hugging my arms to my body to warm myself. I was feeling a little unsettled, but the fact that I had magic to protect me reassured me a bit.

Yes, I was a witch. Magic's been in my father's side of the family for generations, though how I inherited the magic remained a mystery. We hadn't yet figured it out.

I was shaken out of my thoughts when the wind suddenly picked up, causing me to stumble forward. I would've fallen over had Gabriel not been there to catch me. "Thanks," I gasped as my hair whipped around me.

Gabriel and I gaped as the previous blue sky quickly filled up with dark, menacing storm clouds. The wind continued to beat against our bodies and I was seriously getting scared. What was going on?!

There was a sudden flash of lightning followed by a loud clap of thunder. A moment of silence followed – the calm before the storm. I shot a panicked glance at Gabriel, and he hugged me to his chest protectively.

Icy rain suddenly fell out of the sky and pelted against our unsuspecting bodies. I screamed as the icy water hit me and sprinted for cover. I tried opening the school doors but they were locked tight. Why were they locked? Minutes ago they were open!

I turned around to ask Gabriel what the hell we were going to do now, but noticed he was gone. My heart stopped beating for a second, but then sped up again. "Gabriel?" I screamed frantically as I ran away from the school entrance. "Gabriel, where are you!"

I couldn't find him anywhere. After a few minutes of searching I fell down onto the muddy ground, the rain hiding my tears. I was all alone in the middle of a thunderstorm with my friends nowhere in sight. Where was Gabriel? The Gabby I knew would never leave me alone, especially in the middle of a storm with no shelter in sight.

I screamed in shock when a figure suddenly appeared before me. The intimidating man walked over to me and crouched next to me. He put his hand on my shoulder and I instantly warmed up. My mind cleared and I could think normally. As I thanked the witch, I realized that I knew who the man was, and sighed with relief.

"Jonas Martin?" I asked the man hesitantly. "Elijah's witch?"

The man quickly shook his head no, frowning at me. "You know Jonas Martin?" he asked me sharply.

I bit my lip and looked away. Shit, I was not supposed to know who he was, nor was I supposed to know who Elijah was. "No," I said, though not convincingly.

The man shot me a suspicious look but dropped it. "Are you Larissa Nieuwoudt?" he asked me in his deep voice.

"Who's asking?" I shot back. I shivered and curled into a ball. It was freezing!

"Klaus is."

With that one name my whole body froze up. Klaus was probably the only vampire that I feared, and that was because he was a heartless bastard. To many supernatural beings, Klaus was just a myth. They didn't know whether he truly existed, along with his siblings. Over the decades the stories of Klaus and the other Original vampires got so mixed up that no-one knew what the truth was and what wasn't. Many also started to deny their existence entirely, though my family wasn't that stupid. The Nieuwoudt men have been loyal to Klaus dating back to the original Niewoudts, which was a long time.

When I was little my father always told my brother and I stories about a fearsome vampire that roamed the earth. Michael, our father, warned us not to take Klaus lightly, and that if he ever sought us out, that we had to be loyal and do what he asked of us. I never understood why my father told _me_ that, seeing as I wasn't supposed to be a witch.

On my thirteenth birthday I had a visit from Klaus himself, and I had been absolutely terrified…

"Are you Larissa Nieuwoudt?" the man repeated again, his voice hard.

I mentally shook my head to clear it. Now was not the time to have flashbacks, I told myself sternly. Remembering what the man asked me, I nodded shakily. "Yes, I am."

The man nodded and offered me a hand to help me up. "My name is Jackson Martin, a distant relative of Jonas. I'm one of Klaus's witches."

I accepted Jackson's hand and stood up, absently noticing the protective bubble around the two of us keeping the rain and wind away. "Why are you here, Mr Martin?" I asked the dark-haired man, fearing the answer. I just _knew_ it had something to do with me, my magic, Klaus, and a ritual.

"Klaus sent me to fetch you," he told me, confirming my thoughts. "He needs your assistance in Mystic Falls, Virginia."

I almost asked 'what for', but I bit my lip. I knew it was not my place to ask questions. "When," I paused, "When will I be leaving? What about school, and my parents and friends?"

"You need not concern yourself with the details, girl," Jackson snapped, brown eyes suddenly cold. "I shall take care of it."

I nodded shakily, shivering. "I'll be leaving soon, though, right?" I just had to ask.

Jackson glared at me. "Yes, tomorrow evening," he said curtly.

I nodded absently but stilled when his words registered in my mind. "WHAT?!" I exploded, "I can't leave _tomorrow_!"

The dark-haired man's eyes hardened and he said sharply, "You are leaving tomorrow and that is final. Klaus waits for no-one." He handed me a brand new Blackberry and looked me in the eyes. "You will keep this on you at all times, understood?"

"Yes, sir," I whispered, still shocked.

"Good. Your father is being informed as we were speaking. Klaus will handle the costs for your move," Jackson told me, glancing at his watch. "I'll be leaving now. Your friend is searching for you."

Before I could say anything, Jackson disappeared. I stared at the spot where he stood seconds ago; not even feeling the rain as it once again hit my ice-cold skin. I was leaving tomorrow. I was leaving my friends, my family and my home, all to go be a good little servant to the most feared Original vampire on earth. My whole life was going to change, now.

"Larissa?" a voice asked.

I didn't have to turn around to see who it was. Gabriel was soaking wet as he crouched down in front of me. I couldn't look him in the eyes; I just kept staring at that same spot. Why did Klaus want me? Why now?

"Larissa, are you alright? Where were you? You just disappeared and I was worried sick!" Gabriel exclaimed.

I still didn't acknowledge his presence. I felt too numb to even care that Gabriel had suddenly reappeared from where-ever he'd been hiding. I was just…numb.

"Rissa, are you okay?" he hesitantly asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I shook my head no. "Please take me home," I whispered.

Gabriel gently lifted my body and held me against his chest. He pressed a quick, brotherly kiss to my forehead and started walking to his car.

The thing I liked about Gabriel? He didn't ask unwanted questions.

As we walked, my mind started to wander. I remember my father sitting me down on my tenth birthday. He had been serious the whole day and didn't treat me like he used to on my birthday. No, he was serious and distant and I'd wanted to know why.

"_Baby," my father said, taking one of my little hands into his. "There will come a day when a strong and dangerous man will come to you asking for your assistance. When that day comes, Larissa, I want you to do what he says without question. If he says jump, you jump. If he says hurt, you hurt, and if he says kill, you kill. Do you understand me?"_

I was confused and scared. My dad refused to explain, though, and I had nightmares for months after that. Nightmares of a powerful man with glowing eyes demanding that I hurt innocent people.

"You're a witch, Larissa. You're better than everyone else out there. You're stronger than they are, and more dangerous. Never forget that." That was what my father whispered in my ear every night as he tucked me into my bed. Even when I went through times where I denied my heritage, he would whisper those familiar words in my ear. After a while of rejecting what Tobias, my father told me, I started to believe that message he repeated every night. And it was the best choice I'd ever made.

I was a witch. I was stronger than humans, I was stronger than vampires, and I was stronger than werewolves. As my father said, I was above them all.

But I never understood why my father wanted me to do what some man asked me to do. I mean, I'm a witch and I thought myself above all. Why should I bow down to some vampire?

"_Elijah and Klaus are very important vampires," my father told me that same night, on my tenth birthday. "They are a part of the Original Vampire family, meaning they were the first vampires ever created. And one day, little Rissa, one of the brothers will come to you. Be it Elijah, Klaus or anyone else of the Original family, you_will_be loyal to them. You'll serve them with everything you have until your dying breath. Do you understand me, Larissa?"_

I never thought the day would come where I would actually be sought out by them. I guess I was wrong.

xxXXxxXXxx

I don't know how much time passed before we finally arrived at my home. The rain had stopped but I was freezing. Gabriel knocked on our front door and impatiently waited for someone to open it. He glanced down at me with worried eyes and I offered him a tired smile. He returned it just as the front door opened.

"Jesus," the person exclaimed. "What happened?"

I rolled my eyes and eyed my brother still standing in the doorframe. He was my older brother by three years, and we looked nothing alike. While I was short with blonde hair, my brother Nico was tall with lean muscles. He had shaggy mahogany colour hair that reached past his ears and fell into his green eyes. He took after our late mother, while I took after our father.

"We got caught in the storm," Gabriel quickly said with a grimace. "It's freezing, can we come in?"

My brother smiled sheepishly and moved to the side. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Nico waited downstairs as Gabriel took me up to the bathroom next to my room. He sat me on a chair next to the sink and turned the tap to fill the tub. I was freezing and only now I noticed it again. I shivered and slowly shrugged off my blazer and took off my shoes and socks. By the time I was finally without my school dress on – dressed only in my school top and tights – I was about to die of the cold.

When Gabriel turned around he watched me through concerned eyes. He looked as if he was having an internal argument with himself. After a few seconds he nodded and, with a look of determination, started to move towards me. I raised an eyebrow but watched him to see what the heck he was up to. When he reached me he put his hands on my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. "Do you trust me, Larissa?" he asked me seriously.

I was confused, but I nodded anyway. "I trust you with my life," I said honestly.

"Good," he said. Then he slowly started to unbutton my school top. Alarmed, I quickly pushed him away and covered myself up. "What the hell, Gab?" I demanded, shocked by his actions. What was that?!

He shook his head at me. "Trust me, please."

Looking in his eyes, all I can see is pleading and sincerity. So I nodded hesitantly and walked over to him again. Gabriel flashed me a quick reassuring smile before helping me out of my top. My stomach turned with nerves as Gabriel undressed me, slowly sliding my stockings off my legs. I stood in front of him dressed in only my undergarments, and I felt extremely awkward.

Gabriel's eyes flashed over my exposed skin before he met my eyes. "Don't be so insecure," he told me, gently. "You're beautiful."

I felt myself blush and lowered my eyes. What was he getting at? Before I could think any more Gabriel picked me up and gently lowered me into our unnaturally large tub. I sighed as the water wrapped around my body, instantly warming me. My eyes slipped closed and I just let myself relax. My mind was pleasantly blank as I lay in the warm water, completely relaxed. I didn't want to think about Klaus, or Elijah, or the fact that I was leaving tomorrow. I just wanted some peace.

"I'm sorry for undressing you," Gabriel said awkwardly a while later. "It's just, you're like my sister and all, and I didn't think you'd take it the wrong way."

I nodded. "Thanks for helping me, Gab."

He smiled. "No problem. Mind if I join you? I'll be dressed in boxers, though." At my look, he quickly added, "And no funny thoughts, I promise."

Ah, what the hell, I thought and nodded.

Gabriel smiled at me and climbed into the tub. He shifted around till he was sitting directly opposite me.

Gabriel and I had only known each other for roughly a year and a half, but we were already really close. We'd met in grade eight on the first day of school, and instantly clicked. He was in eleventh grade. He was easy going and didn't judge anyone, which is what drew me to him in the first place.

We didn't say anything to each other, so I took the time to study Gabriel. I had to admit that he was pretty attractive. He was tall and well-built, which I knew took a lot of time in the gym. Gabriel had high cheekbones, perfectly shaped lips, and those amazing blue eyes. He had slightly curly black hair that contrasted with his pale skin, but it looked good on him.

Gabriel flashed me a quick smile when he noticed me studying him. I smiled back.

After a while I was warm enough. I climbed out, followed by Gabriel who quickly covered me in a towel. He offered me a quick smile and told me to go to my room and get dressed while he went to keep my brother company. I agreed and ran to my room, feeling the cold air attacking my warm body. I rummaged through my closet and grabbed the first items of clothing I saw, which turned out to be black skinny jeans, a _Gun n Roses_ black t-shirt, and one of Nico's gray hoodies. After I was dressed, I shook my hair out a little bit, styled how I wanted it, and added some mouse to prevent frizzying. My hair had the annoying habit of doing that.

When I was done I walked out of my room and down the stairs, not pausing to look at the photo frames with my mother's smiling picture in it. I wished my dad would just take them off, but he wouldn't. He loved her too much, even though she was no longer with us. It was a painful reminder to the Nieuwoudt family of the person we loved the most, and how we lost her.

I shook my head to clear it. I was about to enter the living room but when I heard voices, I decided to listen rather than go inside. I tiptoed to the door and leaned against it, slowing my breathing down.

"You like her, don't you?" asked a deep voice, sounding resigned. Nico. "You like my little sister."

My heart stilled. WHAT? Why was my brother asking that?! Gabriel would never, in a million years, like like me!

"No, man, are you crazy?" was Gabriel's quick reply.

Wow, that was kind of insulting… but at the same time I sagged with relief. Gabriel didn't like me in that way! I did a little victory dance in my mind at that. I stopped though as I heard Nico's next question. "Then why are you here, Gabriel?"

It was silent for a long moment. "I'm losing her, Nick," he said quietly, "And I need to say goodbye."

"What are you talking about, Gabriel? What's this stuff about losing Larissa?" My brother demanded. He added more gently, "Larissa isn't going anywhere, Gabriel, so quit worrying okay?"

With a deep breath I opened the door and enter the room. Two sets of eyes fly in my direction; one green and one blue. "I'm leaving tomorrow, Nick," I told him. Seeing a heartbreaking expression starting to form on my brother's face, I moved my gaze to Gabriel. "You hear that? I'm leaving and I'm not coming back."

_**~theVDdiaries~**_

**Author's Note: Hullo! So this is my first attempt at FanFiction, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the super-awesome and amazing NyxsReincarnation! Please review – reviews make me happy and encourages me to write :D The next chapter will be up in a few days (:**

**xXx AlaraLoumuth**


	2. Chapter 2

**Amount of words without A/N: 5 978.**

**Author's Note: Here's chapter two! I hope you enjoy it. I'm sorry for the wait, my beta and I are both really busy. Thank you so much to ****TheDreamy**** for reviewing – I appreciate it sooo much! If there are any mistakes, I'm sorry. I edited some stuff after NyxsReincarnation sent it back to me. So yeah, it's my fault xD ON WITH THE STORY!**

Chapter Two

I didn't get any sleep that night. After what I'd said, Gabriel had stormed out of the house without another word. That hurt me really badly, and to top it off Nico also refused to speak with me. It wasn't like it _was___my fault I was chosen to go to Mystic Falls. I even told Nico how much I didn't want to go, but he just ignored me. To tell you the truth, I didn't think he even took in anything I said.

When my dad came home he was sad but understood that it was my time to work with the Originals. He'd sent me to my room to just relax and enjoy my last day at home. Not that I really wanted to spend the day in bed – I wanted to see my friends one last time. Dad refused to let me contact them, though, and I still felt so guilty for missing Tayla's birthday. And her parties. I knew that if I were to ever come back to South Africa, Tayla would not forgive me. I didn't think I'd forgive me, either.

A crack of thunder interrupted my thoughts and I sighed. The alarm clock next to me read 5:09 am, which meant I'_d_ officially been awake for 24 hours. Knowing I wouldn't be getting sleep any time soon, I got up and walked out of my room. I trotted down the stairs, but this time I stopped to look at the photos of my mom. My mother was pale, like me, and had the most gorgeous mahogany curls that fell just past her shoulders. Her hair framed her heart-shaped face perfectly, and it softened her features somewhat. Her green eyes looked directly at my father –who was holding the camera taking photos of her – and her full lips were curved into a gentle smile. She wore no makeup, and wore her favourite sun dress Dad had bought her just after Nico was born.

I turned away and continued down the stairs to the kitchen. I was depressed enough already without adding the fact that I missed my mom, even after all of these years.

I still found it hard to believe the sun rose so early – but it was summer, after all. I filled our old white kettle with water and stared at it as I waited for it to boil. I didn't want to leave home. I would miss everything so much! The old kettle, the pictures of my mother, my family and my friends… what would I do if Klaus decided to keep me by his side forever?

The kettle was done, so I quickly made myself some coffee. I took my cup and put one large teaspoon of coffee and two sugars in. I took the last cookie in the cookie jar and took a seat at the small wooden kitchen table. My mind was fuzzy and I found it hard to concentrate. Would__my friends ever forgive me for leaving them without a word?

I jumped slightly when a large hand rested on my shoulder, but relaxed when I felt the rough lips pressing a quick kiss against my temple. The woodsy scent and the kiss told me it was my dad. "Would you like some coffee?" I asked him.

He nodded gratefully and took a seat opposite me. I stood up to prepare my dad's coffee. In his cup I put in t_wo teaspoons of coffee, 3 teaspoons brown sugar, and a little bit of milk._I added the milk first, and then the still-hot kettle water. I handed my dad his cup and sat down again.

"How are you holding up, Larissa?" he asked me before taking a sip of his coffee.

I shrugged. "I'm alright, just sad to be leaving," I told him truthfully. I really didn't want to leave, especially on such bad terms with everyone.

My dad offered me a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry this happened to you, sweetheart. I'm still not sure how you got the magical genes," he said with a frown. "But at least I know that Klaus will keep you safe."

"Will he though?" I asked my dad immediately. "Keep me safe, I mean."

Tobias frowned at me. "Of course he will, Larissa. You're one of his witches now. As long as you're loyal to him, he will look after you."

I nodded, feeling relieved. At least I knew no-one could hurt me as long as I had Klaus looking after me. "What do you think he needs _me_for? I mean, I'm fifteen! And I never thought Klaus would be the one to finally choose me," I wondered aloud. "Elijah, maybe, but never Klaus."

"You should never question Niklaus," my father said sharply. "Never. I've known since your thirteenth birthday that Klaus would be the brother to ask for your help."

My mind flashed back to my thirteenth birthday. _A really attractive yet dangerous man, dressed in a fancy black suit…some talk about witchery, vampires, werewolves…a vampire named Katherine..._I shook my head to clear it. Now wasn't the time to think of the past.

"Yes, father, I know," I sighed. I finished my coffee and checked the time. It was six o'clock – I was shocked, I didn't even realise so much time had passed!

"May I please go to school dad? Just one last time?" I begged, tears filling my eyes. I knew he wouldn't allow me to go, but I had to at least try. "I won't tell them anything, I swear!"

My dad looked sad as he shook his head. "I'm sorry but you can't. Jackson's orders. Besides, you need to pack."

My heart dropped into my stomach and I nodded sadly. I got up from the table, took the empty cups, and put them in the sink. I went back to my room and plopped down onto my unmade bed. My ringtone started playing – some 3Oh3 song which meant it was Tayla calling. I wanted to answer so badly I just stared at my phone. She stopped calling me after ten minutes. Instead I got a text from her.

_To: Larissa  
From: Tayla  
Message: we waited 2 hrs for u yesterday at the mall. Where were u?! I thought you'd at least come to m private party, but no! U better be at school to explain, or u'll be in BIG trouble._

I switched off my phone without texting her back. What was the use? It wasn't like she'd ever see me again. Nope, one day all I'd be is a distant memory.

xxxXXXxxx

The next time I woke up, it was because of the stupid house phone ringing and no one answering it. With a groan I stood up and stumbled my way downstairs to the kitchen. I grabbed the phone and sleepily mumbled, "Hello?"

"Good day. Is this Miss Nieuwoudt?" a cheery voice asked.

"Yes, this is her," I replied, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"This is Rayne Davis from the East London airport. I'm calling to confirm your flight to Johannesburg tomorrow morning at 11 am?"

"Oh, right. Uhm, yeah I'm flying tomorrow," I replied brilliantly around a yawn.

"Unfortunately there have been some complications and the flight has been cancelled. However, we were able to move you to another, earlier flight," she said, though she was starting to sound a little nervous.

"Which is when?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Seven thirty...tonight. You'll have to be at the airport for check in a half an hour early."

I groaned into the phone and rubbed my temple to ward off the coming headache. "Alright, yeah. That's fine, I'll be there. Is that all?" I asked tiredly.

"Yes, thank you Miss Nieuwoudt. We apologise for the inconvenience," she replied and hang up.

I quickly ran upstairs and switched on my phone to call my dad. He picked up on the third ring. "What is it, Larissa? I'm in a meeting," he said impatiently, though still a little concerned.

"Sorry to bother you at work, Dad. I just got a call from the East London airport and there have been some complications and I need to be at the airport at seven tonight," I said all in one breath.

There was a muffled curse from my dad before he said, "Alright, I'll make arrangements at work. You go pack as fast as you can and I'll see you in a few hours." The line went dead.

Thanks for the concern dad, I thought sarcastically.

I grabbed some of the boxes from the spare bedroom where Nico was packing up his stuff –he was packing since he'd decided to get his own apartment even though he was only eighteen and a half. I went back to my room, all the way struggling with the dozen or so folded boxes in my arms. When I reached my room I immediately dumped them to the carpet floor. I pursed my lips and looked around my room. What to take? It wasn't like I could take a lot of stuff, but I could still make a plan, right? With a determined nod I set up one of the boxes and started to pack various items from my vanity – like my makeup, photos, jewellery, and etcetera. It didn't take too long and I quickly duct taped it closed. With a satisfied smile I moved on to my clothing and shoes. It took about an hour to pack everything – and I had to be careful to pack a little bit for every type of climate imaginable. I didn't have a clue what Mystic Falls was like.

After a while I moved onto my special Memory Box. It contained a few little trinkets and some jewellery I'd received from loved ones. First I carefully picked up the pure silver, heart-shaped locket nestled in the corner. It was something my mother bought me while she was sick – before the cancer had stolen__her life. I could still remember the tears in my mother's eyes as she handed me the locket with weak hands. She died a few hours after that, while I slept on obliviously next to her. I sighed and carefully put the locket in a separate jewellery box for safekeeping – I was definitely taking it with me.

Next I took out the friendship bracelet Tayla once bought me. She bought it when she went overseas for vacation. She had a matching one. I loved it to bits.

Lastly I took out the two books I bought Tayla for her sixteenth birthday: The Afrikaans book _Dis Ek, Anna___and its English edition _It's Me, Anna___by Elbie Lotter. It was a heartbreaking book she'd wanted to read since forever, though her mother forbade her to. With good reason too, considering the fact that the book was about a sexually abused girl. Anyway, I placed a birthday card on top of the two books and left it on my desk for her to find.

With a last sigh I grabbed my one box of belongings and dragged it downstairs, then went back to fetch my large travelling suitcase filled with all the clothes I could squeeze in. At the same time my dad arrived and helped me to load my stuff into our Ford Focus. He told me to go call my brother, so I nodded and ran up the stairs. I knocked softly on the door, waited a few seconds, and knocked again. There was no reply. With a sigh I opened the door only to find the room empty. Tears gathered in my eyes as I looked at my brother's empty room. He wasn't even going to say goodbye to me… I stalked into his room and grabbed his favourite Superman hoodie lying on his bed. It was going to be my reminder of Nico. I pulled it on over my tank top and went back outside to my dad. He saw the look on my face as I slid wordlessly into the front seat, but he didn't say anything. He just started the car and we were off. The drive to East London Airport took about twenty minutes. The ride was filled with some chit-chat, but I didn't really know what to say. Was this goodbye? Would I ever see my dad, my family, again? I didn't know, and that scared me more than I'd like to admit.

We arrived at the airport at 18:55 and I quickly checked in for my flight to Johannesburg. My dad had a meeting (at seven thirty at__night!) and had to go. We shared a tight hug and then he was gone, leaving me standing alone in the busy airport. I sighed and picked up my carry-on bag from the floor. Luckily the airport was rather small and it was nearly impossible to get lost. I made my way to the WIMPY and ordered myself some coffee while I waited for my flight. My mind stayed pleasantly blank, even as my old Blackberry buzzed with text messages from my friends. I payed my bill when the time was right and went to board the small SAL airplane. I luckily got the window seat. The seat next to me was taken by a cute guy probably around the age of eighteen or nineteen. At first I didn't say anything, I just knew his name – he introduced himself as Janco. He was tall and had light blonde hair and brown eyes.

"Larissa," I replied. I was silent for a moment before it clicked. "Oh my glory, JANCO!" I exclaimed like a crazy person. "You're Janco Ebersohn, right? It's me, Larissa Nieuwoudt! You were my neighbour for a while, and buds with my brother Nico."

His eyes lit up in recognition and he gave me a quick hug. "Not just Nico's friend, I was yours too! It's so nice to see you, Larissa. How have you been? How's the family?" he asked.

"Everyone's great! Except that I'll be leaving them now, but hopefully I'll be back soon," I replied. "Nico and I have been really lonely without you."

"I'm sorry about that. I had to move," he explained. "You know how my parents were. 'You need to go to University, son, and make us proud,' " he quoted perfectly.

I laughed and shook my head. "That's alright, we understood. You were a 16 year old genius," I joked.

He chuckled. "I just happened to do really good in school, is all. That's what happens when you do homeschooling."

"Whatever," I replied, sticking my tongue out.

"And your mother? How is she?" he asked. "I miss her chocolate chip cookies."

My heart clenched and my eyes filled with tears. All playfulness left me. Her death was still a sore spot for me. "She…she's gone…" I whispered and looked down. I'd thought he knew…in fact, everyone knew about Doctor Sarah Niewoudt's death. She was famous, after all.

His expression softened and he squeezed my hand. "I didn't know, Larissa."

I smiled a watery smile at him and said, "It's okay, I'm fine."

"You know what fine stands for?" he asked me. When I shook my head, he said, "Fucked up, insecure, neurotic, emotional."

I laughed without any real humour. "Then I guess I'm fine."

After that it was silent. I guessed Janco felt bad and wanted to give me some alone time, which I appreciated. So I put in my ear buds and lost myself in my world of Eminem. I couldn't really concentrate on his lyrics for long, though. I kept having flashbacks.

_It was my sixth birthday, and it was the worst birthday ever. Since my birthday was in the middle of the holidays, no one could ever make it to my party, not even Tayla who was my best friend._

"_Hi," someone said. It was a boy – he looked 9 years old, like Nico._

"_Hello," I sniffled back. "Who are you?"_

"_Nico's friend," he replied. "Are you alright? You look sad."_

"_I'm not okay," I admitted. "It's my sixth birthday and none of my friends are here."_

"_I'm here," he said strongly. "And I promise to be here forever. You're Nico's sister, so you're mine now, too."_

I smiled at the memory. He kept his promise for longer than I'd ever thought he would – seven years. The next memory pulled me in again. I was ten.

"_Why are you crying, Rissa?" _

"_Go away," I mumbled into my hands. "I don't want to talk to you, Janco."_

"_Come on, Larissa. Tell me what's wrong so I can fix it," he pleaded. _

_I just shook my head. How was I supposed to explain to him that I was being bullied at school? It was too painful – and embarrassing – to admit to anyone, let alone my best guy friend. He'd probably just laugh at me, anyway, AND tell Nico. _

"_Please don't cry, I don't like it when you cry," he said, coming to sit next to me on the girls' bathroom floor. _

_Janco could get in serious trouble for even being in here. If I wasn't in this situation right now, I'd be laughing my behind off. But the fact was, I was feeling miserable and my side was aching from where Juan and Jennie punched me. They called me a "witch" and it hurt me really badly. _

_I was startled out of my thoughts when Janco put his arms around me and let me cry into his chest. I was really grateful. He kept whispering "You'll be okay," into my ear, and I found myself believing him. After about ten minutes I was done crying. "How did you know that something was wrong, and where to find me?" I asked him softly. I really was curious._

"_I always know when something's going on, Rissa. I promised you to always be there for you."_

Janco was thirteen at the time, and already he cared so much about me. He was the best guy friend a girl could ask for. I appreciated that.

I was so zoned out that the flight passed by relatively quickly, and I soon found myself a little lost at the Johannesburg International Airport. Janco walked with me to the baggage claim, and I was about to say my reluctant goodbyes when he noticed my lost, wide-eyed expression. "Do you even know where you're going?" he asked me jokingly.

I smiled sheepishly and shook my head. "I'm afraid not," I replied.

He offered me a smile and asked, "So, where you headed? Maybe I can help you out, since I know this airport fairly well."

"I'm getting onto an International flight to Virginia," I told him as I waited for my baggage to come.

"Don't you have school?" Janco asked, shocked. "You're like, fifteen right? I can't believe Tobias would allow you to get out of school."

"Dad's fine with it. He said it's for the new experiences, or whatever," I said to Janco with a shrugand grabbed my bag. I struggled a bit and he quickly helped me. I half-smiled in thanks as he grabbed his bag and I got everything else I needed. As we walked I told him, "Well I'm moving there to live with some of my extended family, including my half-sister. Well, I'm not exactly sure of the details. It was a surprise for me and I wasn't allowed any details." I was grabbing at straws, now, but who cares who I said I lived with? It wasn't like he'd see, anyway.

"You have a half sister? I never knew," he said, shocked.

"Neither did I," I said glumly.

He nodded and led me to the right check in. I raised an eyebrow as he, too, checked in. This was a little suspicious. "What?" he said, "I just happen to be visiting some family there, too."

I shrugged. We were told the flight left at nine thirty…tomorrow morning. I groaned and banged my head against the wall. Janco laughed and dragged me off to a Spur restaurant. The place wasn't really that full, and we were led into the smoker's section. I glared at Janco who just shrugged and lit a cigarette. I coughed on purpose but Janco just smirked at me. The waiter came to take our orders. "Uhm, I'll take a…um, I'll take a medium rare New York Sirloin?" it came out more like a question.

The waiter gave me a strange look. "Medium rare?" he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, the food is still practically alive when it's medium rare," Janco chimed in.

I grimaced. "Thanks for that charming mental image, Janco, but yes I'm sure." I told both of them.

The waiter, Kagiso, shrugged and looked at Janco. "I'd like a chicken burger, please. And a Hunters beer for me, a coke for the lady," Janco said.

The waiter nodded and disappeared. "SO, what are we supposed to do until tomorrow?" I asked Janco. It was only nine pm now, so we still had like eleven hours to kill.

"Eh, we'll find something," Janco said, "Want one?" He offered me a cigarette.

I shook my head and wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Yeah, no thanks," I mumbled. "I didn't know you smoked."

He shrugged and took a drag. "Your loss," he said. After a while he put the foul thing out and his gorgeous brown eyes met mine. "So, where in Virginia are you headed to, if I may ask?"

I could see no harm in telling him. "Mystic Falls, Virginia," I told him, "And you?"

His eyes got really big. "No shit?" he exclaimed, "Me too! This is so weird but awesome at the same time."

I nodded with a half-smile. "Yep, quite. Do you know anyone there?"

"Nah," he replied, "Just my ma and pa. And you, besides your half-sister?"

I shook my head. "Nope, just my family," I said with a groan. It was a lie, though. I didn't know _anyone_. "I've got to ask," I started, "What are you doing now? And what about your father?"

"I'm working with my father as a _boer_," he said. "But it was only for a little while until I was able to get my visa to leave this place forever. I've gotten a teaching job at Mystic High School."

"That's so cool!" I exclaimed. I always wanted to get to know a farmer's boy, and now was my chance. "Who would've guessed you of all people would work on a farm?" I wondered aloud. It was true – he didn't look like a farmer or anything. His skin wasn't really tanned and he wasn't extremely muscled. He also hated getting _too_ dirty. Oh well.

Janco burst out laughing. "Yeah, no one can believe I'm working on Dad's farm. But oh well, _ons _A_frikaners is plesierig_," he joked. **(TRANSLATION: We AFRIKANERS ARE PLEASANT.)**

I bobbed my head in agreement. Afrikaans people were, for the most part, pleasant - just like he said. The waiter came just then and handed us our drinks. "Thanks," I said as he walked away. Janco took a sip of his beer and asked, "If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would that be?"

I was quiet for a moment. I honestly didn't know. I've always wanted to visit Australia – I had two aunts who lived there – but I wasn't sure if I would be able to stand the heat. Then I'd wanted to go to Paris – not the Paris in the Free State here but overseas. Now that I thought of it, more and more places popped out in my mind and I found it impossible to choose only one place. So I simply said, "Everywhere. I want to travel the world."

Janco nodded, looking thoughtful. Before he could say anything, my Blackberry started vibrating. I fished it out of my short pockets and checked the caller ID – Dad. I lifted a finger at Janco in a "one minute" gesture and answered the phone. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"_Hello Larissa. I just wanted to hear how things are going?"_

"Things are great, thanks Dad. My flight leaves tomorrow at nine thirty, and I have no idea what to do with myself until then," I told him. "And guess who I just saw? JANCO!"

"_That's great, sweetie. Please tell him I said hi." _I quickly told Janco, who grinned and said the same. "_Just remember to be careful,"_Dad warned. _"You should keep checking the Blackberry Jackson gave you – he might let you know something."_

I nodded, only to remember he couldn't see me. "Okay, Dad, I'll do that. He hasn't said anything yet, though. I can't say the same for my friends back home." My voice took on a bitter tone that my dad immediately picked up on. "They won't stop messaging me."

"_You can't talk to them, Larissa, you know that. I'll have Nico tell them you moved or something,"_he said sternly in a don't-argue-with-me tone of voice.

"Nico isn't even talking to me, Dad! Or did you forget? And it's not fair that I have to abandon my friends," I argued. "Just because I'm moving to Mystic Falls, doesn't mean I can't still talk to them! I even missed Tayla's birthday, and she'll never forgive me for it. It's your fault, Dad. You could've at least allowed me to say good bye." My voice was all choked up so I hung up, not wanting to talk to my dad anymore. My throat was closed up so I took a gulp of my coke.

"Are you okay?"

I jumped – I'd forgotten completely about Janco's presence. I nodded at him. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks for asking," I said as strongly as I could.

His brown eyes peered into mine doubtfully but finally he nodded. "Lovely weather isn't it?" he asked randomly.

For a moment I was confused. We were inside – there was no way we could see how the weather was. Then it clicked and I grinned thankfully at him. "Oh yes, absolutely. Hot with not a cloud in sight," I joked. "A lot of humans, though."

"No problem," he told me cheerfully. Just then our food arrived and we were silent as we ate. The medium rare sirloin was delicious – just like I'd said it would be. I even managed to force Janco to eat a piece, and he'd reluctantly admitted that it was nice. I rubbed my victory in his face…a lot. When we were done we paid the bill and left the restaurant. We walked out of the airport and grabbed one of the taxis. Janco told them an address that I didn't__recognise and we were soon driving.

The drive was silent and over soon. We'd arrived at a small, cosy-looking house. I raised an eyebrow at Janco as we climbed out. He grinned at me and motioned me to follow him. I did. Most people would think I'm crazy for following some guy I haven't seen in two years, but I was a witch. I could take care of myself. Add that to the fact that I trusted him with my life.

I followed Janco to the front door where he knocked twice. "Coming!" came a muffled voice from inside. I tapped my foot and crossed my arms. "What's this about?" I whispered to Janco. He just smiled. Soon the door was opened by a tired-looking woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She had a kind face, with short blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. Her facial features were similar to Janco's, so I guessed they had to be relatives. She was dressed in sweat pants and a tank top. When she spotted Janco, she gave a delighted squeal and threw her arms around him. "_Boetie, _I'm so glad you're here!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Oh, so this was Janco's sister. _Boetie_ was brother in Afrikaans. Janco laughed and patted his older sister's shoulder. "It's good to see you, Nita," he told her.

Her eyes then shifted to me and she smiled. "And who's this, brother?" she asked him.

"Oh, uhm I'm Larissa," I said somewhat awkwardly, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Larissa, this is my sister Nita. Nita, this is Larissa. Remember her? She's Nico's little sister. I told you about her," he said. She smiled and nodded. "She also happens to be on her way to Mystic Falls, too, and we'll be on the same flight. So I thought we could maybe crash at my darling sister's house?" Janco batted his eyelashes at his sister.

She laughed and lightly punched his arm. "Of course you can," she said. She seemed to only then realize we were still outside and quickly ushered us in. Inside the walls were painted warm colours and I found myself liking it immediately. She led us to what I assumed was the living room and motioned for us to take seats. The siblings started chatting away but I couldn't get myself to focus on what was being said. I was so tired after my long night and all the emotions I'd experienced, that I was completely drained. My eyelids slowly started to drop, and soon I drifted into the world of sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, it was from Nita gently shaking my shoulder. "Hey," she told me when my eyes opened, "It's eight o'clock, you guys will have to leave soon." She handed me a steaming cup of coffee.

I mumbled, "Thanks," and accepted it. The coffee was delicious and I drank it quickly. Nita also handed me a pair of jeans, which I took gratefully. I got up out of bed and pulled on Nico's hoodie again. I walked to the ocean blue room's decorated mirror to fix my hair somewhat. My curls were a bit limp so I pulled it into a messy bun. The jeans also fit__perfectly. I turned around and thanked Nita for letting me stay here the night. "And thanks for not murdering me in my sleep," I joked.

She laughed and gave me a quick hug. "You know, Janco isn't that bad," she whispered cryptically in my ear before bouncing out of the room.

Frowning, I followed her. What was that supposed to mean? I followed Nita to her sleek black sports car – since I was still half asleep I had no idea what it was. Janco was leaning against the car, his hair messy and eyes sleepy. He was dressed in a fresh pair of dark jeans and a blue button-up, which suited him perfectly. "Morning," I mumbled as I climbed into the car. He grunted some kind of answer but I was too tired to decipher it. On the drive to the airport I checked the blackberry Jackson gave me, and was surprised to see there was one message.

_**FROM: Jackson  
TO: Larissa  
MESSAGE: At the airport, look for a tall woman. Around 23. She's pale and has blonde hair. Fancy dressed. Has an ivy tattoo curling around her wrist. She's your sister, Kerri. She will be in the first coffee shop as soon as you walk out of arrivals.**_

I sighed and replied: _Alright, thanks. On my way to Johannesburg airport. See you soon? Larissa._

The drive to the airport was slow thanks to the traffic, but we were still early enough to not miss the check in and boarding. The security had a problem with my tweezers in my carry on, and confiscated it. Janco was laughing his head off while my cheeks puffed up with irritation. Like come on, it was _only_a pair of tweezers! Ugh, whatever. I unfortunately had to say good bye to Janco, as his seat was at the back of the plane while I was nearer to the__front. He promised to sneak a visit later, though, which cheered me up__a lot.

The flight was long but I found myself unable to sleep. My mind kept going through scenarios of my friends – Tayla's betrayed expression when I didn't show up at her party; my other friends finding out I moved overseas; Henry's smirk when he realizes I wasn't in East London anymore…

Usually when I was down, I turned up the music and put in my earphones and I'd be able to block everything out. Like usual, it did. But this time I didn't feel any better. My mood was dark and cloudy. I snapped once at the woman sitting next to me – she kept sobbing and after a few hours I told her to "shut the hell up!" She was shocked, but at least she stopped crying. I didn't have it in me to feel bad, even when she started blubbering about how her little niece was dying of cancer and she was on her way to say good bye. Nope, I was a heartless bastard.

The flight was long and when we finally landed I was dead tired and feeling depressed. I wasn't even cheered by the fact that I would have a familiar face in Mystic Falls in the form of Janco. Eventually I'd have to say goodbye to him, too. Klaus wouldn't like me having connections from my home.

After waiting with Janco to get our luggage, I went to the first coffee shop I saw. I was too tired to really take in any details, and I almost missed this Kerri character. She was seated at the back of the coffee shop, typing away at her laptop. From the distance I could make out that she was beautiful. She was dressed in a fancy work dress and high-heels, with beautiful hoop earrings. Her hair was light blonde and wavy, like Jackson had__said, and she had icy blue eyes circled with dark eyeliner. She was pale, and her skin looked really soft.

"Who are you staring at?" Janco asked from behind me.

I turned around and said, "That's my sister, Kerri."

As if she heard her name, Kerri looked up from her laptop and her eyes zeroed in on us. She stood up gracefully and swiftly made her way to me. She smiled stiffly at Janco and gave me a quick, swift hug. "It's nice to see you again, Larissa. Mother would have thrown a tantrum about you moving overseas to live with me, were she alive to see it."

My face paled and I nodded slowly. "Yes, she would've," I said. "Um, Kerri this is Janco. Janco, meet my sister Kerri."

Kerri frowned at me, though it was gone as quickly as it came."You didn't mention bringing any friends from South Africa," she said sharply.

I opened my mouth to reply, but Janco beat me to it. "Oh, we only know each other briefly. I was friends with Nico, and she the annoying little sister," he lied smoothly. Then turning to me, he said, "I'll have to go now, Larissa. It was nice to see you." And with that he was gone. I guess he could sense the tension between me and my "sister". When she looked away he mouthed, _I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I'll see you tomorrow_.

With a nod and sigh I turned back to Kerri, whose blue eyes glared at me. "Let's go," she said.

Outside of the airport I couldn't really make out details, as it was dark already. The drive to Mystic Falls was excruciatingly slow and had a silence that almost screamed. I was so grateful when we stopped at the house I guessed was ours. I jumped out of the car, grabbed my bag and box, and went inside after Kerri. She led me upstairs and to my room. She left soon after. Huffing, I dumped my stuff on the floor. I opened my bag, got dressed in PJs, and fell onto the bed. Sleep claimed me immediately.

**Xxxxxxxx**

**AN2: The next chapter will also take another week or so. Like I said, we're both extremely busy with school work. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Please review :P **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: AND HERE IS CHAPTER THREE :D Anyway, words that are ****bold and underlined****are said in Afrikaans, so that means that no one in Mystic Falls knows what is being said. I just thought it would be a bit confusing if I had to add the translations at the bottom of the pages. Also, VERY IMPORTANT: Bonnie and Jeremy never dated/are never going to date!**

**Thank you so much to Real Emma Gray for being an awesome beta :) **

Chapter Three – Mystic Falls

When I woke up Sunday morning, I was confused and didn't know where I was. The room I was in was painted in different colours: One wall was apple green, then the two walls opposite each other were white, and the wall opposite the green one was painted with soft, pastel colours. It was nice and cosy, but I was still lost. My bed was pushed against one of the white walls, which had a huge window seat facing the driveway. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my old Blackberry. I dialled my dad's number and he answered on the first ring.

"_Hello, sweetheart. How is Mystic Falls?"_

I felt like slapping myself. How on earth could I forget? My breathing slowed down to normal and I said, "I don't really know, Dad, I just woke up. I'll go explore in a while."

Dad grunted. _"__And who is looking after you? Have you heard from Klaus or Jackson yet?"_

"No I haven't," I replied. "A young woman is looking after me. Her name is Kerri, and she's cold and doesn't talk much. I think she hates me already for some reason. And I haven't heard from them yet, Dad. I'm still waiting."

"_She seems nice," _Dad said sarcastically. There was a voice in the background, followed by my dad saying, _"__Sorry Hun, I've gotta run. Tayla is demanding to be let into the house."_

My heart squeezed. "Tell her I miss her, please Dad," I whispered.

My dad made an affirmative sound and hung up.

I sighed and glanced at my phone's screen. I had 30 missed calls, 23 text messages, 15 BBM messages, and 6 WhatsApp messages. And I wasn't even exaggerating. Half of the missed calls were from Tayla, two were from her brother, six were from Megan, and the last five were from Unknown Numbers. It was the same with my text messages and WhatsApp messages. On BBM I had loads of messages from my friends wanting to know where I was and what was going on. I read them but didn't reply. What was the use, anyway?

I sleepily walked out of my room and down the stairs. What was with me always having a room upstairs? Eh, I didn't know and I was too tired to think about it. I trudged to where I guessed the kitchen was, but stopped when I saw how beautiful it was. It was really modern and everything about it screamed WEALTH! I was extremely shocked. Since my father didn't earn THAT much, I was used to having the basic or plain things. He was a professor at one of the Universities that wasn't that popular, and he taught Philosophy. He also had his own business, but it was still kind of new. So, yeah, we didn't even have cable or watched TV for that matter. So seeing this extremely fancy and really expensive kitchen sort of scared me. What if I broke something?!

"You're not going to break something," a voice came from behind me.

I screamed and fell onto my butt. My hand clutched at my heaving chest as I stared up at a casually dressed Kerri. She regarded me with her cool blue eyes. "You scare easily. Hmmm," she said thoughtfully.

I felt insulted, and at the same time my stomach clenched. What if she told Klaus that I was easily scared? Would he send me back to South Africa, with my memories gone?

"You're going to need to grow some balls soon," she said cryptically, and then stepped over my fallen body. She grabbed something out of the fridge and stood in front of my still-fallen body. "I'm going out. You should do that, too. Get the hell out of the house, meet new people… socialize and all that. Don't be home before dark. I have the only keys," she said. With that she walked back out and to the front door, and I listened as it slammed shut.

Slowly I stood up and made my way back upstairs. I went to the bathroom that I assumed was mine (since everything was new and untouched) and climbed into the shower after undressing. The water was nice and hot, soothing my aching muscles. I kept my mind perfectly blank as I didn't want to darken my mood again.

After about half an hour I was done. I wrapped my towel around me and trudged to my room. I closed my blinds and opened my bag filled with clothes. Now, what to wear? It was really warm so I grabbed black shorts, a red tank top, a gray cardigan, and brown sandals. It looked alright, but it missed something. I went to my Special Memory/Jewellery Box and opened it. I put on the special bracelet Tayla gave to me, and the silver locket. Now it looked great.

I grabbed my old Blackberry, text my dad my new number, and switched it off. I put both of them in my baggie though. I wanted to phone Janco, but I remembered that I'd forgotten to ask for his number. Oh well, I was bound to see him _somewhere_. With that thought I left the house to see what my new home had to offer.

~IYCSMN~ IYCSMN~ IYCSMN~ IYCSMN~

A couple of hours later and I was exhausted. Mystic Falls was great and all, don't get me wrong, but I felt so out of place. Everyone was dressed so nicely and here I was in shorts and a tank top. People also laughed at my strange accent. It wasn't my fault, jeez. You could swear they never saw "exotic" people. (Some guy called me exotic… don't ask.)

I was hungry and bored and tired when I saw this place called The Mystic Grill, and I immediately went inside. The place was extremely crowded for a Sunday. The Grill was beautiful, though. I looked around, feeling a little lost, when this blonde guy approached me. "Hey, I'm Michael. You new here?"

I guessed he was a waiter. "That obvious?" I asked him sheepishly, but nodded.

He smiled and led me to an empty table. "What can I get you?" he asked.

I thought for a minute. "Um," I started, but I was interrupted by a smooth voice. "She'll have a chicken burger with fries, and I'll take a beef burger and a beer please."

I immediately jumped up and attacked Janco with a hug. He stumbled back and his arms went around me. "I thought I wasn't going to see you again!" I exclaimed.

"Of course you'd see me again!" He laughed and let go of me. We took our seats while Michael went to place our orders. Today Janco was dressed in a neat black suit, and I was a bit confused.

"What's with the suit, Janco?" I asked him interestedly.

He smiled a sad half-smile and said, "Well, it was my ex girlfriend Nikki Richardson's funeral. When I heard she passed, I just had to come and say goodbye one last time. I loved her so much, Larissa. We broke up two weeks ago about some stupid thing… and we never even got the chance to make up for it again."

My mouth fell open. I immediately felt bad for him. "I-I don't know what to say," I admitted softly. I gave his hand a quick squeeze and removed it again, in case he got arrested for being in a relationship with a minor or something. I didn't know if that law still applied.

He gave me a grateful smile. Just then Michael handed Janco his drink. He thanked Michael and downed it, leaving me shooting a helpless look at Michael. "Another one, please," he said softly.

Michael glanced askance at me, and after I few seconds I nodded slowly. "This is your last one," I told Janco sternly.

"_Ja, ja_, sure," he mumbled. **(JA JA is like Yeah, yeah just in Afrikaans).**

I sighed and twiddled my fingers. I didn't know what to say, and I was really starting to dislike the silence that settled in as Janco had his second, third, fourth and then fifth beer. After that he had a few other drinks that I didn't bother listening to the names. "That's enough, Janco," I said softly. I didn't like people drinking, I've had bad experiences involving drunken people before.

The blonde must have heard something in my voice, as he blew out sharply and said, "Shit, I'm so sorry Larissa…." his voice trailed off.

I shrugged, trying to get rid of my discomfort. It wouldn't do anything for him. Our food arrived and we ate in an uncomfortable silence. When were done we just sat there staring at each other.

"Well this is awkward," a sarcastic voice said from behind me.

I turned around, irritated, and met eyes with light blue eyes. The man looked to be in his early twenties. He was pale and appeared to be fit. He had dark brown hair that went to just below his earlobes. He was attractive, I had to admit. Add that to the fact that I loved his choice of clothing. Dark jeans, a black button-up shirt, black boots, and a black leather jacket. I absolutely LOVED leather jackets. Unfortunately my witchy senses were tingling, trying to tell me something.

"And you are?" I asked, irritated. My senses were tingling, warning me that something was off about this guy.

He flashed me a sarcastic smile. "Damon Salvatore. And you, Blondie?"

I gritted my teeth. No one, and I mean NO ONE, was allowed to call me Blondie. "Larissa Nieuwoudt," I snapped. I flashed a quick look at Janco, whose unfocused gaze was directed somewhere behind this Damon dude. Some help he was! "And that's Janco Steyn," I added more calmly.

"You're new. You must be, otherwise I'd have recognised you. I don't like new people," Damon said through narrowed eyes.

Jeez, this guy had issues. "Uhm, yeah. Not my problem," I replied and stood up.

Some other cute blonde came over then and collected our dirty dished. He looked up and spotted Damon. "Already harassing Mystic Falls' newest residents?" he joked.

Damon rolled his eyes and the two of them started bickering. Annoyed, I stood up and moved to Janco. I tugged his arm and said, "Come on, Janco. Time to go."

Janco made no move to get up, he just watched me through glassy eyes. "Can't we stay?"

I shook my head. "No, Janco, we need to get you to your home. Nikki's family must be worrying about you." He still made no indication of listening to me.

"Need some help?" a kind voice asked.

I glanced up and met eyes with a nice-looking girl with an oval face, light olive complexion, almond-shaped brown eyes, and smooth, long, straight dark brown hair. She seemed to be seventeen or eighteen years old.

"Nah, I'm good thanks," I replied as I tugged annoyingly on Janco's arm. "Just get up, Janco. You can drink more at home," I told the stubborn man. When he still made no move, I muttered a spell in Afrikaans which made him stand up and cleared his head a little. I tugged on his arm again.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" the brunette asked.

"She's fine, Elena," Damon told her. YES, THERE'S SOMEONE HERE WHO THINKS I CAN LOOK AFTER MYSELF!

"No, she's not fine," Elena argued back. "She's got a drunken brother or friend or whatever he is to look after, and she's so young!"

"_She_ is standing right here," I interrupted with annoyance. Stupid girl. "And _she_ is fifteen! Not that young. I'm fine, really."

The brunette, Elena I reminded myself, shook her head and watched me with concern. It bugged me. I hated it when people looked at me that way. I didn't need their help! I was a witch, for goodness sake! I'm capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much!

Arrogance and annoyance was taking a hold of me quickly. I was a powerful witch from an ancient line, and she was just a stupid normal human of no importance. I squeezed Janco's arm tighter and did a silent spell to sober him up more just enough to actually listen to me. It took a few seconds before Janco shook his head and mumbled, "You're right. Let's go."

Finally! I shot a dirty look at Damon and Elena and dragged Janco to the exit. Before leaving though I made sure to quickly pay our relatively high check. I stopped as soon as we were in the parking lot, though. What now? How the heck was I supposed to get Janco home without a car or without a clue where he was staying at the moment?

As if in answer to my thoughts, a feminine voice called out from behind me, "Oh God, Janco!" High heels clicked on the road as the figure ran towards us. It was a nice-looking girl. Around seventeen, if I had to guess. She had dirty blonde hair that was done up in an elegant up-do. Her eyes were a dark green, and were rimmed in black kohl. She was dressed in a formal black dress and strappy heels.

"Not to be rude or anything, but who are you?" I asked her when she reached us.

She lifted her finger in a "one moment" gesture and bent over forwards to catch her breath a bit. After a few seconds she straightened and looked me in the eyes. "I'm his deceased ex girlfriend's little sister. And you?"

I noticed with some surprise she had a South African accent. "Oh. I'm one of Janco's friends. We've known each other since I was little," I said. "Right, Janco?" I nudged him with my shoulder.

He nodded. "Meg, can you take me home? I'm not feeling so good."

A concerned expression crossed Meg's face. She smiled hesitantly at me and moved to take Janco's other arm. "Help me lead him to my car? It's the old double cab _bakkie_ over there." She nodded towards the furthest point of the parking lot. **[**_**Bakkie**_**is South African slang for pick-up truck, I think.]**

I nodded to her. Slowly but surely we made our way to her black _bakkie_, all the while supporting Janco's stumbling form. When we reached our destination, we carefully helped him into the back seat. He almost immediately fell asleep. Meg closed the door gently and turned to look at me.

"I'm sorry, it's just… Janco is a bit emotionally unstable after the funeral, you know," her voice trailed off, and I nodded in understanding.

"I get it. I'm curious though, why was the funeral held on a Sunday of all days?"

She smiled a sad smile, her eyes far away. "Nikki always said that she wanted her funeral to be on a Sunday. No one knows why, but we suspect that it held some special, personal meaning to her."

"Oh." I shuffled my feet, my earlier bought of annoyed arrogance forgotten. "Well… I need to go now. Please take good care of Janco," I said softly.

She nodded determinedly. "He's important to me, practically my brother. I will take the best care of him I possibly can."

I smiled gratefully and handed her my number. "For if he needs me," I explained.

She nodded and got into the truck. Meg reversed and soon she was gone.

Now what to do with myself? I turned around only to see those Damon and Elena characters behind me. Elena opened her mouth to say something, but my glare shut her up immediately. With a smirk I turned around and left The Grill's parking lot. The place was lame, anyway. But the real question was: What was I supposed to do with myself now? It was only four pm, and I couldn't go home before nightfall.

I sighed and started to walk aimlessly down the road. It was better than just standing like a loser in the middle of nowhere. The walk was long and boring, my mind troubled by thoughts of Janco. Why didn't he tell me that he had a girlfriend, or that she'd died? Especially after I told him about my Mom? But maybe that _was _why he didn't say anything, he didn't want me to feel even worse about myself. But in reality it did make me feel like absolute crap. If I still knew Janco as good as I used to, he was bottling almost everything up and that wasn't a good thing. He was going to blow soon, and I knew from experience that it wasn't pretty at all.

_It was 18 January, Janco's 15__th__birthday. When I arrived at his house I expected to find his large group of friends, some really attractive girls that made me feel insecure about myself, some loud music, decorations… everything you could ever imagine at a 15__th__birthday party. That, in itself, sounded like a horror story to me. I hated parties, especially the ones Janco and Nico had. My brother and Janco was loud and obnoxious when they were with their friends, different than they were with me. But when I arrived, what I found was much, much worse. I would take loud parties over this any day. _

I walked on, trying to push the memory back down into a lead box to keep it away forever. It was never nice to see someone blow up, especially if you were close to said person. But, ultimately, you can't keep quiet forever.

_There was blood everywhere. Not the fake blood you'd expect to see on Halloween… no, this was the real deal. The blood was soaked into the ground, into the torn up pieces of decorations everywhere. My heart was struck with horror and a suffocating fear. What the Hell was going on?_

Tears pricked at my eyes as I tried desperately to concentrate on anything besides that one, disastrous birthday. The events that no one knew about, except for Janco and I. Not that Janco knew I knew, of course. He would never talk to me again if he knew what I saw.

_Janco, too, was covered in blood. He was sitting on a soft spot of grass underneath my favourite tree, the one I always read underneath on hot, sunny days. The tree that used to be my favourite spot up to now. Now all it was, was a place of horror and death. Yes, death. My witchy senses could pick it up. Janco's eyes were blank as he stared at his bloodied and bruised hands, which were shaking slightly. He moaned pitifully and grabbed at his hair._

"_What have I done?" he cried into his hands. "Oh, God, what have I done?"_

My vision was so blurry that I didn't even see the person up until I crashed into them. I was sent sprawling to the ground, crashing my head hard onto the pavement. I groaned and clutched my head. Gosh that hurt like a sucker. I was faintly aware of a voice in the background. I concentrated a little harder to make out what was being said.

"Hello? Are you okay? Can you hear me? Crap, I'm so sorry!"

I sat up slowly and squinted at the person talking. The guy appeared to be eighteen. He was quite handsome with a tall, muscular and toned body. His hair was blonde and he had beautiful blue eyes. He reminded me somewhat of those stereotypical football players I always saw in the movies (but never in real life.) He looked like the guy I saw earlier at the Grill, the busboy.

"I'm fine," I muttered, and the guy stopped talking abruptly.

"You're not fine," he said with wide eyes. "You're bleeding and crying!"

I blushed and quickly wiped at my eyes to get rid of my tears. I didn't cry a lot, and this was the first time since my mother's death I truly cried. "Okay, so maybe I'm not fine," I replied reluctantly. "But I will be."

He frowned at me. "Can I at least take you to the hospital?" he asked hopefully.

I attempted to stand up and show him that I didn't need to go to the hospital, but a wave of pain hit my head and I started to fall back down. Luckily the blonde jock quickly grabbed me. "Okay, let's go to the hospital," I said faintly.

I tried to protest as the blond picked me up bridal style, but he refused to listen. "You're hurt," he'd simply told me. I knew I couldn't fight against him, so instead I relaxed into his hold.

As we walked to the hospital, I couldn't help but be grateful to this blonde guy. He was the one who crashed me out of my thoughts, making it possible for me to lock the memory away. I never wanted to think about it again, nor about the rest that had happened. The ending was worse than everything else combined…

"We're here," the blonde said and soon we entered the hospital. I didn't really take notice, and soon I was in one of the hospital rooms on a bed. I sighed and clutched at my head, my other hand covering my face.

"Oh, I'm Matt by the way," the blonde said.

I peeked through my fingers and met his blue eyes. "Larissa," I replied. "Thanks for helping me."

"Why are you thanking me? All I did was bring you to the hospital," he said, puzzled.

I just shrugged. He'd helped me more than he would ever know. Just then a doctor entered the room. I didn't take notice of her name, I was more focused on the stupid light she shone into my eyes.

"You'll be alright," she finally said. "You just have to take it easy for a few days. All that is left is some stitches to your head wound."

Luckily the stitches were over quickly, with minor discomfort. "Are you done?" I asked breathlessly. I hated needles and pain and all those nasty things.

Thankfully, she nodded. I smiled gratefully at her. A text buzzed on my phone and I quickly checked it.

_**FROM: Unknown Number  
MESSAGE: Took care of the bill. Keep out of trouble – won't help you next time. Klaus**_

I was shocked, but luckily able to hide it. I subtly looked around, but couldn't see the Original anywhere. When the doctor asked about payment, I told her it'd been already taken care of. The receptionist at the front desk confirmed that.

Soon we were outside and I shot a glance at Matt. "Thanks again," I said softly. "It was nice to meet you."

He smiled at me. "Can I call anyone for you to come pick you up?" he asked concernedly.

I shook my head. "I'm living with my sister, and she'll be out all day. I forgot to take my keys… I'll just hang around a little, I guess," I told him. At his look, I added, "I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

Matt frowned. "I bet you can, but you're still new here, Larissa. It's not safe."

Something in his tone told me he was serious, so I nodded. "Good point. But what am I supposed to do?"

He was silent for a moment. "You can come to my house, if you want. I promise I don't bite," he laughed a little, and I guessed it was some inside joke. "My friend Jeremy will be there, too, so you don't have to worry."

I considered Matt through narrow eyes. Could I trust him to not be some psycho? My phone buzzed again, interrupting my thoughts. I lifted my finger in a 'one moment' sign and checked my phone.

_**FROM: Unknown Number  
MESSAGE: SAY YES. K**_

A shiver ran down my back and I once again checked my surroundings for a lurking Original. After a few seconds I gave up and agreed to go with Matt. The walk to The Grill was quick, and soon we approached his car. "Nice," I grinned and climbed in.

"So, where are you from?" he asked as we drove away from The Grill.

"South Africa," I replied.

He laughed. "I couldn't place your accent, so thanks for telling me."

I grinned and shrugged. "I guess you lot don't see a lot of foreigners, then?"

"It's not that we don't see foreigners," Matt replied. "Just not any Africans. Or South Africans, for that matter."

I nodded in understanding. "To tell you the truth, I've never been overseas before this," I said.

"Why did you come, if I might ask?"

I shot a look at him, trying to see if he was genuinely curious. He was. "My mother died a few years back," I said nonchalantly. "And I couldn't stay with my dad anymore. He was going backwards. And my brother Nick… well, let's say he wasn't really coping either. He turned into such a jerk, I couldn't see him anymore. My half-sister Kerri offered me a place to stay away from the memories and everything else."

I was shocked about the truth I told Matt. I'd at first wanted to lie to him, but the truth came pouring out. It was true, my dad and Nico hadn't been the same since Mom died.

"Oh," Matt said quietly. "I'm sorry."

I smiled at him and said, "It's okay, you know. This is a new start for me, and hopefully I never have to go back home again."

"But they're your family, Larissa. Shouldn't you go back sometime, even if it's just for a few days? I'm sure your dad and Nick will miss you," Matt told me with a frown.

I shook my head sadly. "My dad will miss me, but hopefully me leaving will wake him up a bit. And Nico," I laughed bitterly. "My brother and I aren't on speaking terms."

The rest of the drive to Matt's house was silent. I missed my dad so much, but these days all he ever did was work. He sometimes worked at home from his laptop, but even then we rarely saw him. He didn't have time for us anymore.

And Nico… well my brother really did love me. I knew he did. But ever since our mother died he became more distant. I could still remember the days when I could tell him everything. We were there for each other when Janco left, when mom died… he was always there for me, even when it was uncool to hang out with his annoying little sister. But as the weeks went on, he grew distant and cold. I guess I couldn't blame him, though.

We arrived at Matt's house and climbed out. I followed him inside. He looked a little embarrassed about the place, so I said, "I love it. It looks exactly like my old home from when I was younger. It's comfy and homey."

He smiled gratefully at me and led me to the kitchen. He handed me a Coke and I accepted it thankfully. The doorbell rang and Matt yelled, "It's open, Jer!"

A guy who appeared to be sixteen entered the kitchen. He was really handsome. He was tall and muscular. His hair was short and brown, as were his eyes. He looked at me through careful eyes. "Hey, I'm Jeremy Gilbert," he introduced himself.

"I'm Larissa Nieuwoudt," I said quietly, suddenly shy again.

"I bumped into her earlier today," Matt explained. "She needed to get stitches."

"Ow," Jeremy winced sympathetically.

I half-smiled and took a sip of my drink.

"So how old are you?" Matt asked as he handed Jeremy a drink.

"I'm turning sixteen in April," I said. "And you guys?"

"Well, I'm sixteen, almost seventeen," Jeremy said.

"And I'm eighteen," Matt finished.

I nodded. "Cool. So I guess I'll be seeing you at school tomorrow."

Just then my phone rang. Not the Blackberry Jackson gave me, but the older one. I frowned. I thought I'd switched it off? Clearly not. Without looking at the screen, I said "Sorry, excuse me," to the guys and answered.

"Hello this is Larissa?"

"_**Where in the name of all that is holy are you?!"**_a voice I knew all too well demanded.

I winced. "Tayla…." I started to say, only to be cut off.

"_**Don't Tayla me! Do you know how worried we all are? And Gabriel won't even talk to me! He just said you weren't ever going to come back! Is that true? Are we ever going to see you again? This is BS, Larissa, and you know that! I am your best friend, you can't just abandon me! This isn't how it works. You're practically my sister, and family doesn't abandon each other."**_

I bit my lip as pain chorused through my body. "I had to leave," I told her. "I couldn't stay there anymore."

"_**No, you were just selfish. If you wanted to get away from your family, all you had to do was ask me and you could've moved into our house immediately. But no, you just had to run away, to who knows where? You always run away from your problems, Larissa. You need to grow up and get some balls."**_

The line went dead. "Okay then," I muttered to myself and put my phone away. My hands were shaking and my head was reeling. I never expected her to actually call me.

"Are you okay?"

I started. I'd forgotten that I wasn't alone. I shot a sheepish look at Jeremy and Matt. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just some friend trouble, is all."

"I guess they're not happy that you left?" Jeremy asked knowingly. I shook my head.

I got to know Jeremy and Matt a little more over the next few hours. They were fun, nice and sincere. But I could feel that they were hiding something. In this town my witchy senses were tingling permanently, and I knew something bigger than Klaus was going on here, and I didn't like it. My dad promised me though that I was safe as long as I was loyal to the Original. Which I was going to be, even if it killed me.

A couple of hours later I received another text, this time it was Kerri telling me she was home. It was already eight pm, and I felt so bad for imposing on Matt.

"Thanks again, Matt," I said as I climbed out of his car. He insisted on driving me, which I found really sweet of him. "I appreciate today a lot."

He grinned. "It's no problem. I'll see you tomorrow, Larissa. Sleep tight."

I waved and walked to the front door. I didn't need to knock, seeing as Kerri already opened the door for me. "I see you made friends," she observed as we walked to the kitchen.

I shrugged and grabbed myself a bottle of cold water from the fridge. "Yeah, I guess," I replied.

"That's good. Listen, I've been given some funds to take care of you. I bought you some new clothes, you better wear them. Klaus was the one who told me what he'd prefer you wear," Kerri said.

A little confused, I nodded slowly. "Sure. Look I'm going to bed, I'm really tired."

Kerri nodded. "You need to get up extra early tomorrow to get ready. I'll have to drop you off early, ok?"

I nodded and left the kitchen. I went upstairs to my room. I was exhausted. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Monday morning came way too early, especially with Kerri waking me up at half past four. Back in my hometown, I usually got up at five to be at school by half past seven. But this? This was a bit extreme. I slowly made my way to the bathroom and got into the shower. The water was icy cold at first, which woke me up completely, and then it heated up. The shower was nice, relaxing all of my tense muscles. After cleaning I climbed out, wrapping a towel around my hair, and another around my body. It was extremely cold, so I ran as quickly as I could to my bedroom.

While I sat on my bed I quickly checked Mystic Falls' weather, and saw that today would be miserable and cold. After drying and putting on my underwear, I stood in front of my closet looking at the new clothes Kerri bought me. _Almost everything_ was black, red, dark purple, and silver. I pursed my lips and tried to decide what to wear. I was really nervous, to tell the truth. Back in East London, every student had a standard uniform that we had to wear. But here in Mystic Falls, we could wear whatever we wanted to. Which made me nervous. What if what I wore looked horrible?

As if sensing my thoughts, Kerri entered my room still dressed in PJs. She waltzed to my closet and grabbed a few items. She then dumped them on my bed and left again. Curious, I trudged to my bed to see what she picked out. It was black tights, a dark red tank top, a gray cardigan, black no-heel boots, and some pieces of silver jewellery. It was a silver rhinestone necklace and silver diamond earrings. My eyes were wide. They had to have cost a lot. Oh well.

As I looked at the clothes, I wasn't so sure if it would look great. But when I had them on and I was looking at myself in the mirror, it actually looked fantastic. My hair was still wet, so I added the needed amount of hair product to prevent frizzing, and to make the curls fuller. I also put on the bracelet I got from Tayla. No makeup for me, though.

I walked downstairs and into the kitchen, where Kerri was seated drinking coffee. She looked up when I walked in and nodded approvingly. "I was doubtful, but it looks good on you," she said.

My eyes widened with shock. Kerri, complementing me? Wow. "Thanks," I said and walked to the fridge. I grabbed myself a bottle of water, and on the kitchen counter I grabbed an apple.

"Is that all you're eating?" Kerri asked.

"Yes, is there a problem with that?"

She just shook her head and finished her coffee. I quickly went upstairs and brushed my teeth. I looked into the mirror one last time to check my appearance. My skin was pale, like it usually was. My face was oval shaped, my lips a little bit uneven. Freckles dusted my cheeks, so light you had to stand really close to see them. I was average height, not tall like my father. My hair was curly, dirty blonde, and reached just above my elbows. The length irritated me. I'd have to get a haircut and soon. My facial features looked a lot like my dad's, which made me miss him even more.

"Larissa, we're leaving!" Kerri called from downstairs.

I hurried downstairs and climbed into Kerri's expensive sports car. I wasn't good with cars, so I had no idea what it was. When we arrived at school, Kerri turned to look seriously at me.

"Be normal, Larissa," she advised me. "Blend in and make friends. Don't let the people know you are a witch, there is a counsel here who wouldn't be happy. You can make up any story you like, but just tell me tonight what it is so that I can back it up. Lastly, here is a house key."

I nodded and accepted the key. "Thanks, see you later." I grabbed my bag and climbed out of the car. I was really early, and there weren't a lot of people at Mystic Falls High School yet. I walked to where I guessed the office was. The lady at the front desk looked up and smiled kindly at me.

"Hey, I'm Larissa Nieuwoudt. Uhm, I was told to come here first?" I said awkwardly.

She smiled and rummaged through some papers on her desk. Finally she found what she was looking for and handed the paper to me. "This is your class schedule, dear."

My subjects were English, History, Physical Education, Maths, Chemical and Physical Science, Biology, and Consumer Studies. Not my ideal subjects, but whatever. The lady handed me another two pieces of paper.

"This is your school map, and that is a slip I'd like all of your teachers to sign for me. Please hand it in at the end of the day."

I nodded. "Thanks, ma'am." I said goodbye and left the building. My Blackberry vibrated and I saw that I had a text from Jeremy asking me where I was. I told him and put away my phone again.

When I spotted Jeremy a smile lit up my face. I gave him a quick hug and we walked together to the cafeteria. "This is a nice school," I told him. "Big, compared to my previous one."

He nodded. "Yeah, I like MFHS a lot. Most people do."

I felt eyes on me and turned to see who it was. It was that Elena chick from the Grill yesterday, and next to her were a witch and a blonde. My witchy senses immediately picked up that this blonde girl was a vampire.

I scowled and Jeremy laughed. "Ignore them," he told me.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"That is Elena, my sister. The blonde is Caroline, and the other one is Bonnie," he pointed to each person.

"Oh, I didn't know Elena is your sister," I mumbled.

"Jer!" a voice called. It was that Bonnie witch. "Who's this?" she asked when she reached us.

"I'm Larissa Nieuwoudt," I introduced myself.

"Bonnie Bennett," she replied and shook my hand. There was a little zap, our magic connecting. She frowned, but I pretended to not know what it was. "Weird," I muttered for show, and then shrugged.

"I've got to go to class now. Bye guys," Bonnie said and quickly left.

"Interesting girl," I commented as soon as she was gone. Jeremy laughed and asked what I had first. "History with Alaric Saltzman," I replied.

He grinned. "You'll love Mr Saltzman. C'mon, I'll walk you."

**xxxXXXxxx**

Mr Saltzman was great, just like Jeremy said. He was fun to be around, and made the work interesting. He also didn't embarrass me in front of the class, for which I was grateful. When the bell rang he asked me to stay behind.

"What's up, Mr Saltzman?" I asked when I reached his desk.

"I just wanted to see how you were holding up," he replied.

I shrugged. "It's different than what I'm used to," I admitted. "But I'll get used to it, I'm sure."

He nodded and after chatting a few more seconds, sent me on my way.

The rest of the day passed by in a breeze. Unlike in the first period, people stared at me and whispered about me. They laughed at my accent and my mix up with some of the words. They asked a lot of questions, leaving me feeling shy, awkward, and uncomfortable. In Physics I was totally lost. Here in Mystic Falls they were far more advanced than what we were back in South Africa.

When the final bell rang I was so grateful to get out of there. Outside Jeremy spotted me and invited me to go to the Grill with him, Matt, and some others. Thinking about Kerri's advice, I agreed. I got a ride with Elena, who didn't look to be too happy about it. Soon we were at the Grill though and I was able to relax. At least I was until I got another text.

_**Tell them you're going for some fresh air. We need to talk. Klaus**_

My eyes widened. This was it, I thought. I would see Klaus for the first time since my thirteenth birthday. Today would determine what was going to happen. It was now or never. I took a deep breath and quickly excused myself. Matt and Jeremy were confused, but thankfully let me go. I walked outside and waited. I tapped my foot and bit my lip, both nervous habits that I had.

"Larissa," a voice said from behind me. Klaus. "You have grown so much."

xxxxx

**Hey again! Please vote on the Poll on my profile! It's really important :)**

**Until next time**

**xxx AlaraLoumuth**


	4. Chapter 4

**Amount of words: 4 468**

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the long wait (and the short chapter)! The next chapter will be up in a little while :)**

**IMPORTANT: Remember the memory in Chapter Two? The one with Larissa crying? This has to do with that. Remember, Larissa was crying about "Juan and Jennie" calling her a witch. Here's an extract of it:**

_But the fact was, I was feeling miserable and my side was aching from where Juan and Jennie punched me. They called me a "witch" and it hurt me really badly. _

Chapter Four – Klaus

The first time I met an Original, I had barely been ten years old. It was my birthday, and I had just gotten my heart broken by some jerk. Since my mood was so dark and bleak, Dad decided that it was for the best that my party was cancelled. "I have someone else who is eager to meet you," Dad had told me.

That someone turned out to be Elijah. I could still remember how he interrupted my crying.

"_What's the matter, sweetheart?" a cool, yet gentle voice asked. _

_I sniffled and wiped at my eyes. As soon as my vision was cleared of most of the tears, I studied the man who had spoken. He looked vaguely familiar, but I was almost 100% sure I'd never seen him before. He had straight brown hair and kind brown eyes that contrasted with his pearly white skin. He was attractive, which made me feel shy. The mystery guy was dressed a neat black suit, which I found fit him quite nicely. It was like he was born to wear suits._

"_It's nothing," I whispered, still trying to get rid of my tears. I hated crying, especially in front of people I didn't know. _

_He frowned. "I can see that it is not nothing, dear Larissa. Now please tell me what the matter is," he said. His mesmerising blue eyes bored into mine._

_As if I was being compelled, I told him: "My heart was broken by the guy I trusted the most."_

"_What is his name? And what did he do to you?" he asked._

_I tried to not say anything, but the words just came out. "His name is Juan. I trusted him so of course he knew everything about me. He told my mom's Church that I was a witch. They hate me now and think I'm an abomination," I cried. _

_A fire entered his warm brown eyes. "What are they planning on doing?" he asked dangerously low._

_I shook my head and hid my face between my hands. "They can't do much, but they called me out last Sunday, calling me the spawn of Satan in front of the whole community."_

"_What did your friends have to say about this?" he growled. _

_I flinched. "Some hate me, and some support me. My best friend is still with me, luckily," I replied shakily._

"_The guy that did this to you isn't worth it. If he cannot accept who you are, then he wasn't meant for you to begin with. Don't you agree?"_

_I nodded at the brunette, feeling a little better already._

_He smiled at me and patted my leg. "Good. I shall take care of your little problem. I will see you soon, Larissa." And then he was gone._

My dad had come into my room a while after the mysterious man and told me who it was. I was shocked, to say the least. Why did he even visit me? My dad, unfortunately, didn't say anything to me except, "Just wait, Larissa. Be patient."

The day after the Original came to visit me, I realized no one remembered the fact that I was a witch. I didn't know whether to be relieved or frightened. I went with relief.

After that Elijah's visited me three times, once when my family and I were on vacation in Seychelles, the other time at school under the guise of an outside councillor, and the last time was the night after my thirteenth birthday. He even bought me a present – a beautiful bracelet that you could see was really old and pure gold. That was a while back – about two years. I always suspected that Elijah would be the one to call for my help. I was wrong.

While Elijah was kind towards my family and me, Klaus was the one who scared me. He visited me for the first time on my actual birthday, and he terrified me. He was strangely nice to me, though. As if he wanted me to like him. After that he, too, visited me a few times. "To get to know you better," he'd explained.

And now, two years later, here he was stood before me.

"Larissa," Klaus said, his voice surprisingly warm, "You have grown so much."

Actually hearing him say my name made my nerves calm down somewhat. Suddenly I couldn't understand why I'd been nervous in the first place. This was Klaus – the Original vampire I'd gotten to somewhat know. To me he had been kind, but firm; he understood my troubles, and he was a good listener. Other times he truly scared me, and that was natural. But then there were the opinions of the rest of the supernatural population – they called him a heartless monster. I didn't know who to believe anymore, so I decided to give it some time before I made up my mind.

"Of course I did, Klaus. I'm fifteen now," I said lamely.

He smirked and nodded. "I can see that," he said, his eyes looking me up and down.

I frowned at him, not liking the way he was looking at me. He seemed to get the hint. "I apologize," he said. "It's just that I haven't seen you in ages, and my memory hasn't done you justice. You've changed a lot."

I shrugged. "Not really," I replied.

"You _did_ change a lot," he said a little more firmly. "You've grown from a teenager into a lady."

I raised an eyebrow. I felt awkward. "Why am I here, Klaus?" I asked to distract him.

"That is for me to know and you to find out," he said cryptically. "I can not divulge too much information to you right now, we have an audience." He nodded behind me.

I turned around and saw Matt staring at me with wide eyes. His eyes snapped between Klaus and me, before he turned and stormed back into the Grill. An alarm immediately went off in my head. "What's wrong with him?" I demanded. "What did you do to them, Klaus? How do they know who you are?"

Klaus just looked at me with those amazing blue eyes of his. "Tell them that I am an old family friend. You don't know that I am an Original, or that I am a Hybrid. You tell them nothing except that you knew me through your now-deceased mother. Do you understand?"

I was lost and confused, but couldn't ask Klaus anything before he blurred away. I walked back into the Grill with uncertainty, but I knew I had to keep up pretence. So I put on a sad, tired mask and walked over to Jeremy. I ignored the stares from Damon, vampire Blondie, the witch, Elena, and Matt.

Jeremy shot me a distrustful look as I took a seat opposite him. Matt had obviously already told him that I was talking with Klaus. "What?" I demanded, pretending to be offended. "What did I do now?"

"How do you know Klaus?" he asked, his voice steely.

I let my mouth fall open in shock. "How do you know Klaus?" I asked him.

"I asked you first," he shot back. Jeremy's eyes bored into mine.

Gah, childish much? Whatever. "He was a friend of my mother back when they worked together at the Journalism Academy of South Africa, but he moved away. He just saw me now and asked me how my mother is. He didn't know she'd passed away," I said, quickly improvising. Here I was again with my half-truths. I didn't have to fake the sadness, though. I missed my mom so much…

Jeremy's eyes instantly softened. "I'm sorry, I didn't know about your mom…" his voice trailed off.

I just shrugged. Damon approached us and slid in next to me. "I don't trust you," he said bluntly.

I gave him a weird look. "And that's supposed to bother me, why?"

"Lay off her, Damon," Jeremy jumped in to defend me.

"You can't seriously believe her sob story?! I bet you her mother isn't even dead, and that she and Klaus are working together!" Damon growled, his eyes boring into mine.

Slowly, without my will, my eyes started to fill up with tears. The lack of control I had over my emotions these days was really starting to bother me. I promised myself to get it under control later. I stood up from the table and glared at Damon through blurry eyes. "My mother's dead, you insensitive asshole!" I whispered brokenly and quickly left the table. I had to get out of the Grill, away from the prying eyes and stares. How dare Damon imply that I was lying about the death of my own mother? I mean, who does that?!

On my way out I bumped hard into Matt, making him drop the dishes he carried. "Sorry," I muttered and continued on my mission of leaving the Grill. Outside I breathed in deeply, letting all of my stress, sadness and frustration out.

My phone buzzed with a text that read: **Go home. I'll be there. Klaus.**

I sighed and texted Kerri, asking her to come pick me up. She quickly replied: **You can walk. It's not that far. **

A few seconds later, she added:** Sorry. Stuck at work.**

I pursed my lips and quickly let Klaus know that I was going to take awhile. No sooner had I pressed SEND, a dark black Mercedes came to a stop next to me. The tinted window rolled down and I was met with Klaus's profile. He nodded at me to get in, which I did without hesitation. As soon as my door closed, Klaus stepped hard on the gas and we sped away from the Grill. Klaus shot me a look and frowned when he noticed my tears. "What happened?" he asked with genuine concern.

I just shook my head and looked out of the window as we sped away. While we drove Klaus started telling me what was going on. He confirmed my theories on the blonde vampire Caroline, the witch Bonnie, and the doppelganger, Elena. What shocked me though was the fact that Damon was a vampire. For some reason my magic hadn't picked it up.

"When's the last time you've practiced magic?" Klaus asked.

"Excluding yesterday for a simple Sober Up spell, a few months," I admitted.

"That's probably why you couldn't pick it up. When you start to lose touch with your magic, your senses begins to dull," he explained. After a moment, he asked, "Why have you gone so long without practicing?"

"My mother passed, remember," I reminded him.

"She passed away two years ago," Klaus said, puzzled. "I visited you the day after, had I not?"

I nodded. "Yes, you did. But I'd started to get nightmares about her. She kept appearing in my dreams, and I wasn't sure if it was the spirits trying to tell me something, or if it was just my mind playing games. I guess I just got so scared and unsettled by it that I thought if I stopped practicing, it'd go away. It did."

"Did you figure out what it meant? The dreams, I mean," he asked.

I shook my head. "Unfortunately not," I replied.

"It's a shame," Klaus said thoughtfully.

Just then I realized we've actually been in the car for a LONG time, and we weren't in Mystic Falls anymore. "Klaus, where are we going?" I asked him slowly.

He just shot me a look. "It doesn't matter. You will be back in time for school, do not worry."

That wasn't really reassuring, but I was here to work for Klaus. So instead of complaining, I shut my mouth and took out my old Blackberry. I texted Gabriel: **Are you still mad at me? I miss u. I can't believe you didn't say goodbye.**

After a few minutes with no reply, I sighed and put it away. I missed my friends from South Africa, especially Tayla and Gabriel. Everyone still refused to talk to me, though.

A few hours passed in silence and we finally stopped at some woods in the mountains. Like usual, I hadn't been observing where we were going. I climbed out and followed Klaus into the woods. He got impatient with my slow, human speed and grabbed me. With a blur we reached his destination.

Another vampire stood waiting, and when he saw me he lifted an eyebrow. He looked similar to Damon, so I guessed this was the famous Stefan Salvatore. "Why is she here?" he asked Klaus.

"You don't need to know," Klaus said bluntly. "Larissa, this is Stefan Salvatore. Stefan, meet Larissa Nieuwoudt."

I nodded hesitantly at the brunette. There was something off about him, but I couldn't place my finger on what it was.

"What happened while I was gone?" Klaus asked Stefan as we walked deeper into the woods.

I stepped carefully, mindful of the loose branches all over the place. I wasn't exactly known to be a graceful teenager.

"I'm still waiting for them to wake up," Stefan said quietly. He looked reluctant to talk in front of me, which I could somewhat understand.

Klaus turned his head and gave me a long, considering glance before turning back to Stefan. "Why have they not awoken yet?"

Getting the point of Klaus's look, I tuned out and listened to the sounds of nature around me. Up ahead there were birds chirping; I could spy a little nest just ahead of where I was standing. I smiled and looked to my left. There was a beautiful plant (one I couldn't identify), but it was nearly dead. Feeling sad for it (and a need to do some minor magic), I kneeled down and placed my hands onto its stems gently.

"_**Word gesond, kry lewe,"**_I chanted in Afrikaans. **[Get healed, get life].** I repeated it a few times and watched with amazement as the plant came back to life right before my eyes. I stood up and dusted my hands on my tights. I observed the plant with a satisfied smirk and turned around to see if either vampire noticed. My eyes widened when I noticed Klaus and Stefan had disappeared, and I felt like hitting myself. Stupid, I chided myself, and hurried into the direction I suspected they'd gone.

A few minutes had gone by when I heard a commotion up ahead. I slowed down my walk and hid behind one of the trees. I peeked around the edge and saw Stefan talking to Elena, Damon and… Mr Saltzman?! My eyes widened and something of what Klaus had told me repeated in my mind.

"_In the end, I killed the vampire, the werewolf and the Doppelganger," Klaus ended. "Which made my turning into a Hybrid successful."_

"_And the Doppelganger was Elena Gilbert?" I'd asked._

At that moment in time it hadn't registered in my mind. So, let me get this straight. Klaus thought the Doppelganger to be dead, but there the little bug was, talking to Stefan? Klaus's right-hand? This wasn't making any sense.

After a few more seconds, Stefan blurred away from them and the trio left. I turned around and headed in the direction Stefan had gone. The woods were eerily quiet and I shifted uncomfortably as I walked. A twig snapped behind me. I didn't have time to react before I was grabbed and pinned to the ground. I opened my mouth to scream, but was cut off by a large hand being out over my mouth.

It was Stefan. "Calm down," he hissed at me, eyes blazing.

I stopped struggling and breathing all together, lying as still as possible. My chest heaved as I continued to look into Stefan's green eyes, waiting for him to let me go.

A few seconds went by and he finally let me go. He extended a hand and helped me up.

"What the hell, dude," I demanded, brushing the dirt off of my ass. "Why did you tackle me?!"

Stefan just shot me a glare. "They almost saw you."

"So what? That brunette girl is supposed to be dead!" I yelled at him, waving my fists at him.

Stefan winced and quickly glanced around, looking as if he expected Klaus to appear and kill him at any moment. "You don't understand," he said tightly. "Just leave it, alright? You don't know anything."

I shook my head angrily and said, "I'm not going to lie to Klaus."

"Do you want me to compel you?" the vampire asked threatingly, taking a step towards me.

My eyes widened and I quickly shook my head. "Fine, I won't tell him. But I deserve an explanation, and if it isn't a good one I will be telling him," I threatened.

Stefan nodded stiffly, just as Klaus arrived. The Original vampire's expression was murderous and his clothes bloody. He said something to Stefan lowly so I wouldn't be able to hear, and then disappeared off into the trees.

I shivered; it was starting to get dark. A cold wind started to move howling through the woods, lifting my hair all over the place. I grimaced and quickly collected as much of my curls as I could in one hand.

"Where's Klaus?" I asked over the wind.

Stefan didn't reply. He approached me slowly, grabbed my arm, and blurred us away from the little clearing. Within seconds we had reached a little cabin. From outside it looked small and lonely; the grass was growing wildly, some of the windows were cracked or broken, and a heavy stench of decay hung in the air. I wrinkled my nose and lightly punched Stefan. "What are we doing here?" I whispered, goose bumps rising on my skin. "This place is freaking me out."

Stefan didn't answer me. Instead he walked to the front door and knocked demandingly. "Open the door!" he called.

I waited with bated breath as the door was pulled open harshly by a young man. He was wearing skinny jeans, a v-neck, and an old, frayed leather jacket. In his fingers was an almost finished cigarette. He looked to be in his early twenties. "What?" he demanded. His reddish brown eyes flicked from Stefan to me, and then back to Stefan.

Stefan's eyes widened and he stared intensely into the man's eyes. "My friend here needs a ride home. You will take her."

The man repeated Stefan's words dazedly.

"What are you doing?" I asked sharply. "You're not sending me back to Mystic Falls with this random stranger!"

Stefan turned around and shot me a smirk. "Enjoy your ride, Larissa," he said. I barely blinked and the vampire was gone.

I stared at the spot where he'd stood, my mind blank. How the hell could he leave a fifteen year old girl alone with some creep?

"Come on, doll, we need to go," the man's rough voice said.

I shook my head. "No way, dude. I'm not going anywhere with you." I moved to grab my cellphone when I remembered it was in my school bag…which was in Klaus' Mercedes. CRAP!

I growled and stalked to the guy. I followed him as he walked around the cabin and we reached his car. I was reluctantly impressed by the sweet ride; it was a classic red car, whose make I couldn't make out. As we walked closer, I saw the sign said MG, not that I knew what it meant.

I climbed into the car and, without asking, turned the heat full blast. "Please hurry," I said quietly. "I just want to go home."

He nodded and reversed out of his garage. Within moments we were on our way.

"I'm Cole," he introduced.

"Larissa. I'm not in the mood for talking. I'll be sleeping. Just wake me up when we're in Mystic Falls, alright?"

He nodded.

I sighed and closed my eyes. Hopefully we'll be in Mystic Falls soon.

**~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~**

I was shaken awake a few hours later.

"We're in Mystic Falls, doll. Where do you live?" Cole asked.

I rubbed sleep from my eyes and mumbled the address. He nodded and followed my directions. Within a few minutes we reached Kerri's address.

"Thanks," I said as I climbed out of the car. I stretched my stiff limbs and offered Cole a half-smile. "What's the time?"

"Half past four am," he replied with a frown. "I need to go, nice meeting you." Without another word he drove away.

I sighed and slowly walked to the front door. I didn't have a key yet and I knew Kerri would be pissed at me for waking her up, but I didn't have a choice. I pressed the doorbell and waited nervously for the blonde to let me into the house. I tapped my foot and rang the bell again.

A very tired and ruffled-looking Kerri opened the door. "What the fuck, Larissa? Where were you?!" she yelled as soon as she saw me.

"Klaus had me, I'm sorry," I said quietly, my eyes lowered to the ground.

Cursing, Kerri stepped inside to let me in. I mumbled an apology and raced up the stairs to my room. I would have to get up soon to get ready for school, but I decided to get a few minutes' sleep just to help. My nap in the car hadn't helped at all; I'd continually woken up from Cole's reckless driving, and from the nightmares that plagued me. In total I'd probably gotten three hours' sleep from a six hour drive (Cole wasn't the fastest driver, and stopped everywhere). The little sleep I'd gotten only made me more tired than before.

It felt like I'd just closed my eyes when I was being woken up by Kerri. She refused to say a word to me; she only dragged me to the bathroom for a shower. The water was scalding hot, but I had no energy to adjust the temperature. I robotically washed myself, and after a while I slowly climbed out.

I walked to my bedroom and took a seat on my bed. I once again checked Mystic Falls' temperature, and saw that today would be cold, too. I sighed and quickly dried myself off. I got dressed in my undergarments and then tried to decide what to wear. In the end I shrugged and grabbed a red tank top, skinny jeans, and a gray Black Veil Brides hoodie. I also grabbed a pair of converse. After getting dressed I walked back to the bathroom. I applied some product to my frizzying hair and on a whim decided to blow dry it. I never did this, seeing as it made my hair worse. But I decided the heck. After about twenty minutes I was done. If I had more energy I'd have been crying with frustration at the halo of blonde hair surrounding my head. With a tired sigh I added more product and gathered my hair into a messy braid with some loose strands.

I looked at myself in the mirror. My skin was paler than normal. Underneath my blue eyes I had dark circles from the little sleep I've gotten. I sighed and tried adding some makeup to give me some colour. It helped, but barely.

"LET'S GO, LARISSA!" Kerri's voice yelled from downstairs.

I grabbed my iPod from my room and jogged downstairs to meet Kerri at her car. "Where's your bag?" she asked me.

"It's in Klaus's car," I mumbled as I climbed into the car.

"Why is it there?" she asked as we drove.

"I forgot it there."

"How could you forget it? I mean he did drop you off."

I decided not to tell her that I'd been sent home with a random stranger.

The rest of the drive passed in silence and soon we were at my school. I silently got out. Kerri sped away without a goodbye, but I didn't let it bother me too much.

Once again I was really early. I looked around to see if I could spot anyone I know, but didn't see anyone. I pursed my lips and decided to sit on my own underneath a tree. I didn't really care that the ground was slightly wet; I wouldn't die or anything.

I grabbed my iPod and put the earphones in my ears. I decided to listen to some local South African music. Hearing the numerous songs made me miss my friends so much.

I wondered what Gabriel was doing? Was he missing me, or had he completely forgotten my existence?

And Tayla? Would she always stay mad at me, or would she eventually forgive me? What about Alicia, Megan and Kiselle? Would they accept me back with open arms if I were to go back to South Africa, or would I be thrown out?

"You seem to be thinking deeply," a voice said, breaking into my thoughts and music.

I quickly took out my earphones and glanced at the person next to me. It was Jeremy. I shrugged and nodded my head. "I guess."

There was an awkward silence. "Are you okay after yesterday?" he asked concernedly.

I smile and said, "Yeah. Damon's an ass, though."

At this Jeremy chuckled. "Yes, he is," he agreed. After a few seconds, he asked, "Larissa, where's your school bag?"

Crap, how was I supposed to explain this?!

Then, as if in answer to my thoughts, some random chick approached me. She looked friendly enough, dressed in skinny jeans and a nice top. In her hands she carried my school bag!

"Hey, Larissa! You forgot your bag at my house yesterday," she said and dropped it by my feet. She smiled brightly at me, waved, and left again.

"Well, that was random," I muttered under my breath, hoping Jeremy didn't hear.

He didn't. He shot me an impressed look and said, "I didn't know you were friends with Cailey."

Oh, so the girl's name was Cailey. She was probably compelled to bring my bag to me. "Yeah, I guess we're friends," I replied.

I drummed my fingers on my lap, not sure of what to say.

"Um, what do you have first period?" Jeremy asked finally.

I shot him a look, but said, "Maths. You?"

"History," he replied with a grin.

"That's unfair!" I exclaimed. "Mr Saltzman is the best!" As I said it I couldn't help but be reminded of the fact that he, Damon and Elena were at the mountains yesterday, speaking with Stefan.

"Are you sure you're alright? No offence, but you look like the living dead," Jeremy remarked.

I smiled unconvincingly. "Yes, Jeremy. I'm fine," I said, lying through my teeth.

I could already feel the fatigue seeping through my bones, and I just _knew_ it was going to be a long, endless day.

**~ IYCSMN ~ IYCSMN ~**

**Thanks everyone for the reviews and follows/favs, I really appreciate it :)**

**xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Amount of words: 5 851**

**Author's Note: Okay, so I know the timeline is going really slowly. I'm doing it on purpose. Please bear with me. **

**Previously on If You Could See Me Now:**_** "Are you sure you're alright? No offence, but you look like the living dead," Jeremy remarked.  
I smiled unconvincingly. "Yes, Jeremy. I'm fine," I said, lying through my teeth.  
I could already feel the fatigue seeping through my bones, and I just knew it was going to be a long, endless day.**_

Chapter Five - Tuesday

Maths made me want to commit suicide. No, seriously. Once again Mystic Falls' syllabus was way more advanced than my previous school's, leaving me totally lost and ready to kill myself. Or someone. That someone being the annoying jock seated behind me who kept "playfully" kicking my chair.

After about the millionth time, I couldn't take it anymore. "Oh my gosh, can you stop?!" I yelled at the blonde, turning around in my seat. "It's _kak _annoying!" **[**_**Kak**_** is the Afrikaans word for crap].**

The dark brown eyes of Mike (the jock) widened with shock and his mouth fell open. There was dead silence, until some of his friends started sniggering. As soon as this started, and more and more people laughed, a blush rose on his cheeks and he looked down at his lap.

A deep satisfaction ran through me and I turned back to face the front, smirking, triumphal.

Mrs Becker, my maths teacher, opened her mouth and I just knew she was going to yell at me.

I glared at her and snapped, "No, you don't get to give me nonsense about this! He deserved it; he kept kicking my _flipping_ chair even when I asked him – _nicely _– to stop. He kept doing it and I wasn't able to concentrate. So _please_ tell me how I wasn't supposed to yell at him after 55 minutes of this."

Like I thought, Mrs Becker was speechless. I flashed a sarcastic smile at our irritating teacher and then the bell rang. I grabbed my book bag and breezed out of the room.

I had English next so I walked to Mr Webber's classroom. I was one of the first there.

"Good morning, Larissa," he greeted as I took my seat at the back.

I smiled and waved. "Hi, Mr Webber," I replied.

"Are you alright?" he asked concernedly.

I smiled at him and nodded my head. "Yeah, sure. I'm just getting adjusted to everything here; I'm still not used to everything," I explained.

He nodded and turned to write some stuff on the board while we waited for the other students to arrive.

I really liked Mr Webber – he was pretty cool. Even though I wasn't really fond of English as a subject, Mr Webber made it fun. He was in his late 30s or early 40s, I wasn't really sure. He had shaggy blonde hair that was all over the place. He wore stylish black rimmed spectacles over his friendly brown eyes. He was dressed in a surprisingly comfortable-looking suit. Overall he had the whole "professor" look going, and it really suited him.

A few minutes later everyone had arrived. Mr Webber quieted our class and then clapped his hands excitedly. "I have finally decided on what your term project will be, and I'm quite sure you will all find it…enjoyable," he started, his eyes glinting. "You will work in groups of three, which I will decide. You and your partners will work on a 'Who Are We?' project, which will count half of your term grade."

The class groaned, me excluded. I wanted to hear what we were going to do, exactly.

"This project will be fun," he assured us. "Basically you will interview your partners, and get to know them on a personal level. You need to ask everything, like hobbies, likes, dislikes…everything, basically.

You will need to take pictures to document your growing friendship. Be warned: The three of you will be spending a lot of time together, especially if you want a good grade.

After two months of this, you will together create a 'Who Are We' photo board, which will contain photographs, quotes, likes, and everything else you can. You need to be creative. You also need to do an oral presentation along with a slideshow the three of you made about these two months," he said.

The class nodded, unsure. I found myself a little excited. I loved taking photos, and I was sure this would be fun. The rest of the class didn't really share my thoughts, though.

"I cannot tell you express to you how much this project will count," Mr Webber stressed.

The class nodded. "When will we find out in what groups we are?" a blonde girl in the front asked.

"In a moment," Mr Webber replied. "Let me just get my paper."

There was light chatter around the room as our teacher searched for his paper. Within a few moments he found it. He started reading names and soon I heard mine.

"Larissa, you will be with Cailey and Mike," Mr Webber ended.

I groaned and let my head fall onto my desk. Why did I have to be with stupid, irritating Mike? At least Cailey (the girl from earlier) didn't seem too bad.

"You may begin now," Mr Webber said.

I stayed where I was with my head on my desk. I heard two sets of feet approach me but didn't react. They stood on either side of me uncertainly.

"Um, hi," Cailey started. "I'm Cailey Anderson…we're in the same group for the project."

"I know who you are," I mumbled. "We met this morning. Briefly."

"Oh, right," she mumbled.

I lifted my head and stuck my hand out to her. "Larissa Nieuwoudt, pleased to meet you," I said.

She hesitantly shook my hand.

A throat cleared and our heads snapped to glare at Mike. "Yeah, I know who you are," I said disdainfully.

Cailey laughed and said, "I see you've already met Mike."

"Unfortunately," I replied with a grimace.

Cailey dragged a chair over and sat next to me. I took the time to really study her, as I hadn't really given her much thought earlier this morning. She had pin-straight white-blonde hair that hung just past her shoulders. It was all one layer, and her fringe was pinned up to form a bubble. She was pale, but not extremely. Her face was heart-shaped, and she had a slightly sharp chin. Her nose was small and almost button-like, but in a good way. Her mouth was also smallish and naturally pouty. Around her pale blue eyes she wore a thin line of black eyeliner, making them slightly pop out. Cailey was quite small and short, but it actually fit her.

She didn't notice my gaze, as she was bantering with Mike. "Dude, shut up! I totally am better than you at flirting!" she snapped.

My eyebrows lifted. Interesting.

"Oh yeah?" he challenged. "And how would you know?"

I rolled my eyes and suggested, "How about this weekend, as part of our project, we get together at someone's house for a sleepover. We'll beautify ourselves and then go to the Grill or something, then see who can pick a guy – or girl, in your case, Mike – up the fastest. Who's game?"

Two sets of eyes stared at me, blinking; one gaze pale blue, the other dark brown.

"Okay," Cailey agreed.

After a slight hesitation, Mike nodded too. "At whose house, though? We can't at mine, my parents are having guests over from Europe," he said. He didn't sound pleased about said guests.

"We can't stay at my place, either," Cailey said apologetically, "My mother won't ever allow a boy to sleep over."

I sighed and bit my lip. "Okay, my house then." I then proceeded to give them the address.

The bell rang and I waved goodbye to the pair, who I guessed were kind of my friends now. I walked to where I remember the cafeteria was. I saw the back of Jeremy's head and grinned evilly, my earlier fatigue forgotten. I sneaked until I reached him and hugged him from behind.

He let out a surprised laugh and turned around. When he saw it was me, he smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist to give me a quick hug. "Someone seems happy," he teased.

I stuck out my tongue at him and grabbed his hand. I dragged him outside and to the spot where we'd sat this morning. When we reached it, I threw him a grin. "And I present to you, Our Spot," I said dramatically.

He grinned too, and I took a seat on the wet ground. I once again grabbed his hand and dragged him down next to me.

"See, now we can be all wet together," I said happily.

"I think the little sleep you've had last night is messing with your brain," Jeremy said, his voice amused.

"_Ag is nie_, you're just jealous you aren't as awesome as I am."

"What does 'ag is nie' mean?" Jeremy asked, stumbling over the pronunciation.

I giggled and said, "_Ag. Is. Nie._ It means "Psh, is not!" or something to that effect."

He nodded in understanding. He rummaged around in his school bag and offered me some chocolate.

I squealed and grabbed it. "Thank youse," I said, and took a bite. "Oh and I said 'youse' like that on purpose," I added.

"No comment," he said, lifting his hands.

"Good," I grinned, mouth full of chocolate.

We spent the next half an hour chatting…until it started to pour.

"Really?" I exclaimed to the heavens. "You're making it rain, NOW?"

As if in reply, a huge gust of wind nearly blew me over. I exclaimed and grabbed onto Jeremy's arm for support. This storm reminded me of the one I had the day I found out from Jackson that I had to come to Mystic Falls. I shivered and the two of us started running.

We were nearing the school building when I – you guessed it – slipped and fell. I hit the ground hard, bumping my head on the pavement. It hurt like a bitch. I tried to get up, only to fall again and hit my nose this time. I heard a crack and was sure I broke it.

Jeremy stopped running and crouched down next to me. The wind threatened to blow him over, but he managed to stay steady. "ARE YOU OKAY?" he yelled over the sound of the storm, rain having already soaked him.

I opened my mouth and said, "Sorta!" My voice sounded weird, and I could taste blood in my mouth. Frowning, I wiped my hand over my face and it came back red. Great, I was bleeding.

Jeremy asked me something, but I couldn't hear. I frowned and pointed at my ear. He came closer. "I said, can you walk? Or do I need to carry you?" he breathed into my ear, making me shiver.

It's just the cold, I reassured myself. "I think I'm alright!" I replied. He helped me stand up, and together we moved as fast as we could to the office. I was feeling lightheaded, and the world was spinning all around me. I hated the feeling.

Soon we were in the parking lot. I frowned when I noticed Jeremy leading me to an old car, instead of the office. I was even more confused when he unlocked said car and helped me inside, before running around and climbing in, too.

"W-what are you d-doing?" I stuttered, my teeth chattering.

Jeremy noticed and immediately turned up the heat as he started the car. "We're going to my house," he said simply and sped out of the school parking lot.

I decided to not argue with him. Luckily the drive to his home was over quickly, and he helped me out of the car. We stumbled our way to his front door and he hurriedly unlocked it. Once inside I breathed a huge sigh of relief. He led me upstairs and into a bathroom that I assumed he shared with his sister.

"I don't have my own clothes with me," I mumbled, shivering.

In reply Jeremy quickly left the bathroom, only to return with some clothes and a large, fluffy towel. "Take your time," he told me seriously. "Afterwards I'll look at your wounds."

I nodded and gratefully accepted the clothes. I put it down and, as soon as the door closed, stripped down to nothing. My body was aching as I climbed into the shower. The water was the perfect temperature, though, and I just stood there letting it sooth my aching body. After a while a grabbed the bottle of shampoo at my feet that I knew was Jeremy's (the other shampoo and conditioner was purple, so I doubted it was his). After washing and conditioning my hair, and washing myself, I closed the tap and climbed out of the shower.

I dried myself off and put on my slightly less wet underwear (which felt totally wrong and weird). I picked up the clothes and looked to see what it was. It was some sweats, a t-shirt, and an awesome Superman hoodie. The clothes were big on my body, but I guess that was to be expected. Jeremy was way taller than me, after all.

I towel dried my hair and hung up my wet clothes on the towel railings. I opened the bathroom door and peeked outside. I followed the sound of pounding rock and found Jeremy laying on his bed, wearing a fresh set of clothes similar to what I was wearing. He saw me and motioned me to take a seat next to him. Seeing my hesitation, he joked, "Come on, Larissa. I don't bite…much."

I laughed and took a seat next to him. He sat up and turned to look at my nose. After a while of poking and prodding, he nodded. "Your nose is fine, not broken or anything. You just hit it really hard."

I smiled, relieved. "Okay good, I'm glad."

Jeremy settled back against his pillows and got comfortable. "So what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Go back to school?" I suggested half-heartedly.

"In my clothes?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "You know what they will think, right? That we're hooking up."

I grimaced. That would be kind of a bummer. "No offence to you or anything, Jer, but I _really_ don't want people to think that," I said.

He laughed and agreed. He suggested we watch a movie, and gave me the task of choosing one (which was turning out to be impossible). Jeremy shot down every single movie I wanted to watch, and now was my time for revenge.

I found the movie I now wanted to watch, walked to his DVD player, and put it in. I grabbed the remote and plonked down on Jeremy's extremely comfortable bed. I pressed play, and we waited silently for it to begin.

"_I'd never given much thought to how I would die…But dying in the place of someone I love seems like a good way to go."_

After a few seconds, Jeremy turned to me with an exasperated look. "Twilight? Really?" he demanded.

I smiled cheekily at him. "What? It's a cute movie," I replied sarcastically. I remember yesterday he'd told me he wasn't too crazy about it.

He stood as if to turn it off, but I grabbed his arm. I gave him puppy-dog eyes. "Please, Jer… Watch it, for me?"

He grumbled but lay down next to me again. I smirked evilly – let the fun begin.

An hour later, I somehow drifted off to sleep. I guess Twilight was just that boring to me. It wasn't that I hated it, per say, but I've watched it so many times that I was seriously just over it.

I was awoken by my stupid phone vibrating. Still groggy, I realized that Jeremy's arm was around my waist; somehow in our sleep this must've happened. I blushed a bright red and carefully manoeuvred my way from underneath him, making sure to not wake him up. I grabbed my phone and hurried out of Jeremy's room to answer.

"Hi?"

"_Where the Hell are you, Larissa?! I've been waiting for you for over half an hour!"_ an angry voice demanded. Kerri.

I winced. Shit. "Um, I'm at Jeremy Gilbert's house," I mumbled.

There was a moment of silence. _"Right. You're getting closer to him like Klaus asked, right?"_

I frowned as I remembered Klaus asking me to become friends with Jeremy. That wasn't why we were friends, though. I really enjoyed Jer's company. "Yeah, that's it. Look, they'll drop me off later. Ok?"

Kerri didn't reply, she just hung up. I sighed and run my hand over my face.

"Is everything alright?" a feminine voice asked.

I screamed and whirled around, my hand on my chest. When I saw who it was, though, I slightly relaxed. "Gosh, Elena, give me a heart attack why don't you," I exclaimed.

She smiled apologetically. "Sorry, it's just…you sounded upset."

I half smiled at her and said, "Um, I'm fine, thanks."

She nodded. "Is Jeremy sleeping?"

My face flushed red as I remembered how I'd woken up. I nodded my head mutely.

"Um, can I get you anything?" Elena asked awkwardly. "Coffee, tea, water?"

"Coffee would be great, thanks," I said, and followed her down the stairs to their kitchen.

"So, Larissa… what made you move to Mystic Falls?" Elena asked as she started preparing the coffee. She shot me a glance and added, "If you don't mind me asking."

I shrugged and fed her the same answer I gave everyone else. "After the death of my mother a few years back, things never were the same at home. My dad turned into a workaholic, and my brother Nico turned into a complete jerk. I couldn't take it anymore, so when my half-sister Kerri offered me a new start here in Mystic Falls I jumped on the opportunity," I explained.

"I'm sorry," Elena said sincerely. Her pitying eyes bothered me. I hated it when people pitied me.

"It's okay," I said. I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince: me or everyone else? "I'm okay."

**~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~**

My first two weeks in Mystic Falls passed by without anything exciting happening. Jeremy and I became closer, and even Elena and Damon seemed to be warming up to me. The witch, Bonnie, kept sending me strange looks. I knew it was probably because she was sensing my magic, so I didn't say anything about it.

I was still a little bit bitter about the fact that Stefan had sent me home with that Cole guy, even though nothing happened to me. And I was even more irritated with Klaus for just abandoning me to Stefan's mercy. My revenge though was not telling him about seeing Elena, Damon and Mr Saltzman at the mountains. That's what he got for being a douche.

My project with Cailey and Mike were going good; we were all getting along, surprisingly. Unfortunately our fun flirting weekend had been put on hold till today, since Mike's family had had a tragic death (courtesy of Damon, of course, though no one knew that except for me).

I haven't heard anything from either Jackson or Klaus, which was starting to worry me. But I was reassured by the fact that if it was truly important, I'd be contacted.

Cailey had somehow bullied Jeremy into coming over with us. He'd said something about his sister going to Chicago or something.

My phone buzzed and I quickly checked it.

**Will be there in 5 minutes x – Cailey**

**See you then x – Larissa**

I checked over my room once again to make sure nothing was out of place. I was nervous to have Mike and Cailey sleep over – no one had been inside Kerri's house yet, not even Jeremy or Matt.

I hoped those two felt bloody well special.

My doorbell rang and I hurried downstairs to open up. Cailey. Her white-blonde hair had been curled to perfection, and it suited her quite well. Her pale blue eyes were rimmed in a thick layer of black eyeliner, making her look extremely dramatic. She was dressed in super tight black skinny jeans, black ankle boots, a startling red tank-top, and a leather jacket that only went to her waist. She looked dangerous, which was seriously awesome. At school she just looked sweet and innocent.

When she saw what I was wearing, her eyebrows lifted. "Great minds think alike," she said as she breezed into the house.

I laughed and led her upstairs. "Indeed," I joked. I led her to my room and awkwardly waited while she assessed it.

"I like it," she said finally. She grinned slyly at me and held up one of my photo frames and asked, "Is this your boyfriend?"

I looked closer and saw that it was a photo of Gabriel and I. We were on a yacht with his arms around my waist, smiling like crazy. "No, he's a friend of mine from South Africa," I said, sadness leaking into my voice.

"What's wrong?" she asked concernedly.

"We're not talking anymore," was all I said.

Thankfully she nodded and put her bags down. "Where's Mike?" she asked curiously.

Just at that moment, Mike emerged from the bathroom where he'd taken a shower. He was dressed smartly in dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket.

"Gosh, it seems like the three of us are crazy about leather jackets," I mumbled.

Cailey barked out a laugh. "Just not at school! God, if people knew I owned a leather jacket!" she couldn't continue speaking as she was hysterically laughing.

"Um, okay," I said and shrugged. I kind of got what she meant: at school she was all innocent and nice clothes. Now, she was dangerous.

"I think we look smoking hot," Mike said genuinely, and I found myself silently agreeing.

"Before we go," I started conversationally, "We need to take some pictures."

This caused Cailey to sober up. "Do you have a camera, Larissa?"

I nodded and handed her my precious baby Gabriel had gotten me a few years back. It may be old, but her pictures were stunning.

"I'll be right back, I just need to touch up my makeup," I told the pair and hurried to my bathroom.

I looked in the floor-to-ceiling mirror at myself: My usually untamed dirty blonde hair's curls were somewhat normal, curling around my face beautifully. I'd teased my hair a little bit, which made me look even better. My hair had gained a little bit of length thanks to the slightly less-curliness of it, and now reached my elbows. I was dressed in a short purple dress (nothing fancy, really simple) that reached mid-thigh. Over that I wore my one and only leather jacket (the one that Nico bought me last year for Christmas). I also wore stockings and heel-less black ankle boots. I looked good, I had to admit. And surprisingly, Mike was the one who helped choose my outfit. My eyes were done up also in dark kohl, and my lips in dark lip-gloss.

I quickly fixed what needed fixing and went back to my room. Jeremy had arrived. He was dressed in jeans and a dark blue button up. I quickly gave him a hug in greeting.

Together the three of us took about a hundred pictures: serious ones, dangerous ones, "sexy" ones, funny ones…every kind you could imagine.

At about 8 pm we left. Apparently Klaus had bought me a car for when I was old enough to drive, so I gave Jeremy the privilege to drive it. The car was a classic, exactly like the one Dean from Supernatural drove. I was crazy about that car.

We soon reached the Grill. Cailey hooked her arm through mine and we entered the Grill together. All eyes were on us, and I smirked over my shoulder at "our" boys. Jeremy rolled his eyes, and Mike wiggled his eyebrows.

I went to the bar and plopped myself down, with Cailey next to me. The bartender looked vaguely familiar, and then it clicked.

"HEY JANCO!" I exclaimed cheerfully.

He laughed and gave a sarcastic wave. "Looking good, Rissa. I bet daddy is so proud," he said sarcastically.

I flipped him off. "My daddy doesn't care," I shot back. I smiled angelically at him and asked, "Can I please have something to drink?"

He playfully narrowed his eyes at me. "That depends on what you want."

I glanced at Cailey, and together we said: "Bourbon!"

"What's this about Bourbon?" Jeremy asked from behind me. He came and put his arms around me, shooting a disgusted look at the freaky old man next to me.

I smiled up at Jeremy and said sweetly, "I want something to drink, Jer. But Janco doesn't want to give it to us." I pouted.

Jeremy glared playfully at me. "You're fifteen; you're not allowed to drink."

"But the drinking age in South Africa is fifteen," I whined. "Right, Janco?" I winked at Janco so that he would agree.

He laughed at me and swatted me with the dish towel he had in his hands. "Don't talk nonsense, you want Nico to _klap_ me?"**(Klap – slap).**

"Yep!" I said cheekily. "Anyway, Janco this is Cailey, Mike, and Jeremy. Guys, this is Janco, a friend from back home."

The guys nodded at each other, while Cailey and I rolled our eyes. Cailey shot me a sneaky look then leaned forward, not-so-subtly showing off her cleavage. "Please can we have some Bourbon, Janco?"

Janco tried – he really did – to not glance down Cailey's top, but ultimately he failed. "Fine," he grumbled. "But if someone asks, you didn't get it from me."

Cailey and I high-fived and eagerly accepted our alcohol. I made a move to turn, but suddenly remembered Jeremy's arms around me. "Uhm, Jer," I said quietly.

He suddenly realized his arms were still around my waist and immediately let go. I handed him his glass of alcohol. On the count of three, the three of us downed it.

"WHOOO!" Mike exclaimed and pulled us girls into a group hug. Jeremy quickly snapped a picture. I stuck out my tongue and grabbed my camera. I handed it to Janco. "Will you please take photos of us throughout the night? We'll be too busy having fun."

"Sure," Janco replied, shrugging. "My shift ends soon, anyway."

"Are you okay after Sunday?" I whispered.

He flushed and nodded.

I waved and joined my friends at the pool table with a round of shots I'd managed to get.

"Here's to you moving to Mystic Falls," Mike crowed.

We clunk our shot glasses and quickly downed them. It tasted amazing. Cailey cheered and asked, "So, who's my first victim?"

The four of us glanced around the Grill, looking for someone not too far out of our age group. In the far corner I noticed a shy-looking guy. He had short black hair, light brown eyes, and nice features. On his nose was stylish black glasses that made him look cute. He was surrounded by his friends, and they seemed to be having fun. He was holding some comic book.

"Go over to that guy," I told Cailey, nodding at the shy guy I was looking at.

Mike was horrified. "You want her to flirt with a loser who reads comics?" he asked.

I glared at him. "Reading comics doesn't make someone a loser," I snapped at him.

He snorted, "Sure it doesn't."

"Are you saying I'm a loser?" I asked him dangerously, but trying to hold in my laugh.

Mike paled and immediately stuttered an apology. I smirked at Jeremy and Cailey. "That's what I thought. Now off you go, girl," I nudged her towards the guy.

On her way, Cailey stumbled a bit, and I knew the alcohol was finally hitting her bloodstream. I was on my way to laugh at her with Jeremy and Mike, but as I turned a wave of dizziness also waved over me.

Mike saw this and burst out laughing, his earlier embarrassment forgotten. "God, don't tell me you're a lightweight," he choked out.

"Shut up," I mumbled and took a seat. "Um, Mike it's your turn."

He looked all excited and puffed out his chest. "Who is my target?" he asked with a ready grin.

I absently realized how Cailey used the word "victim", while Mike called his girl his "target".

"Go to Miss-I'm-Better-Than-Everyone over there," Jeremy challenged. I looked in the direction he was pointing and had to squint to make my world stand still. The girl was gorgeous in a way that made me totally jealous and insecure, so I quickly glanced away.

Mike said, "Wish me luck!" and he went off.

I wasn't sure what happened next. I guess the extra alcohol Janco sneakily gave me hit me a little hard. All I was aware of was loud music, flashing lights, drunken walks on abandoned roads, and then nothing.

I don't even know how we got home. One moment I was laughing my head off, while Mike was singing seriously off-key. Cailey's makeup was smudged and she had a love bite on her neck. I, too, had one.

"We're special," sung Cailey and hooked her arm through mine.

Jeremy just grumbled and muttered, "No, you look easy."

I knew that, had I been sober, those words would've stung. But at that moment in time I didn't have a care in the world. "Bitch, we're fabulous," I yelled at Jeremy, with Cailey drunkenly agreeing.

The next moment I was in my bedroom. Cailey and I shrugged out of our clothing and, dressed only in a t-shirt and boxers, fell asleep.

**~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~**

**[AN: The italics are part of her memory that was in chapter 3, and what is BOLD is what's happening now.]**

That night I dreamt of the day I was so desperately trying to forget.

_There was blood everywhere. Not the fake blood you'd expect to see on Halloween; no this was the real deal. The blood was soaked into the ground, into the torn up pieces of decorations everywhere. My heart was struck with horror and a suffocating fear. What the Hell was going on?_

_I hesitantly walked forward, desperately searching for any sign of life. Where were Janco, and my brother, and everyone else?_

_The front lawn was clear – except for the blood, of course. I walked around the side of the house and immediately stopped. My mouth fell open in a silent scream. Janco's girlfriend Jessie's broken body was expertly pushed underneath a bush, which made her almost invisible to see from the front lawn. Her lifeless silver eyes stared unseeingly into the sky. Her neck was bent at an odd angle, while pieces of her flesh were missing._

**In my nightmare, her broken and bloodied head completely twisted around to look me in the eyes. "This is your fault, Larissa," her broken voice said. "YOU KILLED ME! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME?!"**

**My mouth fell open and I backed away. When Jessie started to robotically stand up, I whimpered and ran away from her accusatory eyes. I knew deep down it wasn't my fault, but this was a nightmare after all.**

_My whole body just felt…numb, for lack of a better word. I was sure that what I was seeing hadn't completely registered in my mind yet; I was still in denial. Jessie _couldn't _be dead. She just couldn't. It was impossible to imagine a world without Jessie and Janco together. _

_I continued through the little gate and entered Janco's backyard. I walked stiffly and robotically – I wasn't sure if I was going to see anything that would once again wake me up._

"**You killed me," whispered the ghostly voice of the long-since-passed Jessie. "Larissaaa, why didn't you save me?"**

**I ignored the raven haired girl, even as her bloodied form started to walk alongside me. **

"**He's in the backyard," she whispered sadly, fearfully. "Underneath YOUR tree."**

"**I know," I whispered. I hated this nightmare. The first few weeks after The Accident, I continually dreamt about it. I knew what was coming.**

_I finally saw him. Janco, too, was covered in blood. He was sitting on a soft spot of grass underneath my favourite tree – the one I always read underneath on hot, sunny days. The tree that used to be my favourite spot…up to now. Now all it is was a place of horror and death. _

_Janco's eyes were blank as he stared at his bloodied and bruised hands, which were shaking slightly. He moaned pitifully and grabbed at his hair. "What have I done?" he cried into his hands. "Oh, God, what have I done?"_

"**He killed me, Larissa," Jessie said again. Her bloodied face appeared in front of my own and she grabbed my shoulders. She shook me roughly as she cried, "He killed me and nobody knows! YOU NEVER TOLD ANYONE I WAS MURDURED!"**

**I winced and felt my own tears leaking down my cheeks. "I'm sorry, Jessie! I couldn't tell. Janco didn't kill you on purpose," I whispered.**

**Her silver eyes blazed with fury. "It doesn't matter! Murder is murder AND I WANT JUSTICE!"**

**I sniffled and desperately said, "He's my friend, Jessie! I can't just hand him over to the authorities, **_**especially**_** after all these years!"**

**Janco disappeared, and suddenly I was at the Nahoon Beach, which was ten minutes away from my house in East London. The wind was vicious and unforgiving; the waves crashed against the shore and rocks without mercy.**

**Jessie stood before me, my mother appearing next to her. I fell to my knees as sobs wracked my body. I knew this was real; my mom only visited me in my dreams when it was important. I hated when she visited me, even though I missed her dearly.**

**My mother stared down at me – her usually warm green eyes were hard and full of anger. "Why do you keep on protecting him, Rissa? He killed someone," she demanded. Her voice was strong and powerful; just like always. **

"**I-I love him, Mom! He's my friend!" I cried. **

"**You call the man who killed your cousin your friend? How dare you!" Jessie screamed. **

"**The Spirits are upset with you," Mother said, this time more calmly, more cold. "Fix this, or there will be consequences."**

Before I could formulate a response, I was jerked back into consciousness. I sat up, gasping, my clothes drenched in sweat.

From next to me, Cailey groaned and slowly lifted her head. She peered at me through sleepy eyes. "Are you 'kay?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

I nodded frantically. "Yeah, sure. Go to sleep, Cailey," I said, trying to control my breathing.

"M'kay," she replied and immediately fell back asleep.

Only now I felt the headache pounding away at my brain. I groaned and slowly stood up. I needed water, _now. _I made my way out of my room and downstairs painfully slow, my head pounding in beat with my heart. I finally reached the kitchen and thankfully slid down to the ground. My whole body ached, but the cold tiles helped somewhat. I decided to just stay on the ground and die.

"Dude, what the hell?"

My whole body froze. I knew that voice.

"You haven't been gone for even a month and you're already drunk!" Tayla laughed.

Shit.


	6. Chapter 6

**Amount of words: 1 934  
**

**Author's Note: I decided to update since it's my birthday :D This is just a short filler chapter about Tayla, Larissa's best friend from South Africa.**

**I decided to update since it's my birthday :P**

**Previously on If You Could See Me Now:**_** "Dude, what the hell?" **_

_**My whole body froze. I knew that voice.**_

"_**You haven't been gone for even a month and you're already drunk!" Tayla laughed.**_

_**Shit.**_

* * *

Chapter Six  
Tayla's POV

The last two and a half weeks without my best friend Larissa had been hell. You see, Larissa was the one person who kept me sane all these years with the crap going on in my life. She was there for me when my parents divorced, when my mom gave me hell… she was there for _everything_, until then she suddenly wasn't. She left without as much as a goodbye. I had to find out through friggen Gabriel Louw (my stupid _ex_, who just also happened to me my other best friend) of all people!

It hurt, I had to admit. Larissa didn't even show up at either of my parties, and _she'd promised_ to come. And when I'd stormed to the Nieuwoudt family home to demand to see Larissa, her moody brother Nico had told me to go _do something not very nice._ Luckily Mr Nieuwoudt was there, and he'd calmly told me that Larissa moved far away.

Like, what the hell? She moved _overseas, _friggen overnight? What was up with that? It sounded really dodgy to me.

So I phoned her, only to get really upset.

I'd waited anxiously for her to pick up.

"_Hello, this is Larissa?"_

It had been amazing to hear her voice, but instead of being nice, I was angry. "Where in the name of all that is holy are you?!" I demanded into the phone.

I could practically hear her wince all the way from where ever the Hell she lived. _"Tayla…"_

I cut her off. "Don't Tayla me! Do you know how worried we all are? And Gabriel won't even talk to me anymore! He just said you weren't ever going to come back! Is that true? Aren't we ever going to see you again? This is BS, Larissa, and you know that! I am your best friend, you can't just abandon me! This isn't how it works. You're practically my sister, and family doesn't abandon each other." My voice shook. I was really upset with my so called best friend, and I wanted her to hurt, too.

"_I had to leave,"_ she said softly, slowly. _"I couldn't stay there anymore."_

I could hear her pain over the distance, but I was too angry to care. She abandoned me, even with everything going on in my life. So instead of being the nice, understanding person I usually was, I turned into a bitch. "No, you were just selfish. If you wanted to get away from your family, all you had to do was ask me and you could've moved into our house immediately. But no, you just had to run away to who knows where? You always run away from your problems, Larissa. You need to grow up and get some balls."

I hung up immediately after that. I'd then proceeded to cry my eyes out for the next two hours, which was how my older brother Gareth found me.

After explaining everything to him, he seemed deep in thought. "Go to her, then," he said simply.

My mouth gaped open. "How am I supposed to do that?" I asked. "I don't know where she lives, nor do I have enough money!"

He smiled gently at me and said, "I know where she lives. Remember Janco Ebersohn? He text me and told me he flew to Mystic Falls, Virginia with your blonde friend. Larissa is there, Tay, and that's where you and I are headed first thing tomorrow."

And that's how I ended up in Mystic Falls two days later, on Friday night. I was dead tired but determined to find my best friend.

"We need sleep," moaned Gareth. "It's 3am, for goodness sake!"

"I don't care, Gareth!" I snapped. "I need to find her, and I need to find her now."

We stumbled into a place called The Grill, and I sank down gratefully at a table. "I'm tired," I grumbled. "And hungry."

"I'll get you something," my brother replied and went to the bar. He returned with a strong coffee and a plate of _slap chips_. "Janco's on his way," Gareth said.

I nodded and munched on the plate of _slap chips_ happily. **[**_**Slap chips**_** are French fries].** Footsteps approached our table and I looked up to meet the eyes of Janco. "My favourite dude!" I yelled and threw my arms around him. I haven't seen him in years.

He laughed and stumbled as he caught me. "Nice to see you too, Tayla." His breath smelled strongly of alcohol. He looked me up and down and said. "Aw, Little Tayla's all grown up now."

I playfully hit him. "So, tell me where I can find my best friend," I demanded.

"Bossy little thing, isn't she?" Janco stage whispered to Gareth, who laughingly agreed. I huffed and stuck out my tongue at them.

"Wow, so mature," Gareth said mockingly. At my glare he quickly shut up.

"Larissa just left twenty minutes ago, actually," Janco said casually.

My mouth dropped open. "_What? _It's after 3am!" I yelled, causing the few drunks in the Grill to glare at us.

"She came to have fun with some friends," Janco said, somewhat defensively. "She deserves to enjoy herself."

I fumed but nodded mutely. "Where does she live?"

Janco mumbled the address. He stopped me on my way out and handed me a camera. I recognized it as the one Gabriel had bought her all those years ago. "Please give this to her, and tell her I'm sorry for sending the wrath of Tayla to her."

I glared and stormed to Gareth's rental. We drove around until we finally found the house. From the outside it was huge and modern, and I could practically feel myself drool. Talk about wealthy people! Which I actually found strange, since back home the Nieuwoudt family wasn't really well off.

I climbed out of the car and walked to the front door. "I won't be long," I called over my shoulder to Gareth. I tested the front door and was surprised to find it unlocked. I shrugged and entered the house as softly as I could. It was dark inside and I carefully made my way around the house. I froze when I heard someone come downstairs. I watched as the dark figure entered a room to my left and the light got switched on. I heard a groan and then a dull thud. Alarmed, I made my way to the room. It was a kitchen. And on the ground was the blonde girl I'd been looking for.

"Dude, what the hell?" I asked, concerned.

I noticed her body tense up.

"You haven't been gone for even a month and you're already drunk!" I laughed. Ah, this was hilarious. Larissa wasn't exactly someone who enjoyed drinking, but sometimes she did to have a little fun. All my fault, really.

Larissa groaned from the ground. "Shhh," she hissed. "My head, genius."

Oh right. "Sorry," I mumbled. I left the kitchen and found my way to the downstairs bathroom. I raided the cupboards and ventured back to the kitchen. I filled a glass with some water and handed it to my friend.

"Drink this," I told her. She accepted the pills and water without hesitation.

"Thanks," she mumbled, looking everywhere but at me.

I took the time to study her. Her long blonde curls were all over the place, giving her a wild look. The makeup around her eyes was smudged, as was her lip gloss. She looked terrible. Larissa was dressed in only a t-shirt and a pair of Nico's boxers. "You look horrible," I told her bluntly.

She snorted. "Always one with the compliments," she muttered. She shakily stood up and took a seat at the little table.

I copied her movements and sat down opposite her. I handed her the camera Janco gave me and she gave me a grateful smile.

Larissa's tired, stormy-gray eyes met mine. "What are you doing here, Tayla? It's not that I don't want you here or anything, I'm just curious."

I shrugged and played with my fingers. "I missed you, 'Ris. I worried about you every minute of every day, wondering where you were and if you were okay," I said softly.

Her eyes filled with regret. "I'm so sorry, Tayla. I did want to leave, that's true…but I didn't want to leave you or anybody else behind."

"Then why did you?" I asked, genuinely curious. All she had to do was tell me and my brother and I would've taken her in.

Larissa grimaced. "It's…complicated," she muttered. "Look, I'm still a little bit drunk and in no mood to talk about depressing shit. Can we talk about it later? Like, tomorrow or something?"

I nodded. "Sure," I said gently. I perked up and asked. "What were you up to all night?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Janco told me you were at The Grill until way after 2am," I replied.

A fire suddenly lit up in her blue-gray eyes. "Janco told you where I lived?" her voice was calm, scary calm.

Crap that slipped out. "Um, yes?" it sounded more like a question. I expected her to be mad, but instead Larissa just groaned.

"Some friend he is, to send someone to my house at…wait, what time is it?"

I laughed and said helpfully, "Half past three in the morning."

She nodded. "Right. What kind of friend sends someone to my house at half past three in the morning?"

I shrugged and simply said, "Janco, no one else."

Larissa rolled her eyes. "I'm really sorry for leaving, especially without saying goodbye. But did you at least get your presents?"

I grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "I loved the books, thanks!" I replied. "Though some of it... it's unsettling."

Larissa winced sympathetically. "Yeah… So listen, where are you staying? And better yet, how did you get to Mystic Falls?"

I gave the blonde a look and she snorted. "Gareth paid, didn't he? Gosh, you have the best brother in the world."

"Hey, your brother isn't that bad."

"Nico?" she asked. "Yeah, we haven't even talked since I moved."

I frowned. That was so unlike Nico. "He'll come around," I promised.

Larissa didn't look convinced.

My phone buzzed with a text from my brother. Frowning, I told the blonde, "I really need to go now. Gareth's tired. But I'll see you later, okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess. It was good to see you again, Tayla. I missed you."

I smiled sadly and gave her a tight hug. "Sleep tight," I told her and left the house.

When I climbed into the car, Gareth mumbled, "Finally." We sped off in search of a hotel.

The one we stopped at was called The Mystic Hotel. "So flipping original," I told Gareth as we grabbed our bags and made our way inside. I left the talking to Gareth, and instead just stared blankly into the distance.

I was glad to see my best friend again. Even though I'd been scarily angry with her, she was still the girl who's been there for me practically our whole lives. Larissa was the most loyal friend a girl could ask for.

Gareth tugged on my arm and led me to an elevator. We stood inside until we reached our floor, and we entered the room. It was nicely decorated, but I didn't really care for the details. I plopped down on the first bed I reached and was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Jet lag was a bitch.

**~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~**

**Thanks for my lovely beta Real Emma Gray (who is amazing, btw), and thanks for all the favourites and follows :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Amount of words: 4925**

**A/N: YAY CHAPTER SEVEN IS HERE! Thanks for your continued support :) **

**Chapter Seven****  
**

Larissa  
I rubbed my hand over my face as I watched Tayla leave. Her arrival in Mystic Falls was going to anger Klaus; I wasn't supposed to have any friends here, as they could jeopardize everything. In fact, Jackson had firmly told me NO FRIENDS FROM HOME.

Then there was also my dream. If it is real, which it was, I'm 100% sure, then I was in big trouble. My mother rarely visited my dreams anymore, and to have had her and a dead relative pop up was rather unnerving. Add that to the fact that the Spirits were upset with me… well, a ** storm was coming soon.

"Larissa, what are you doing up?" a voice asked behind me.

I jumped, my heart hammering in my chest. I relaxed when I saw it was Jeremy though, and laid my head on the cool surface of the table. I grimaced and watched as Jeremy took the seat Tayla had occupied not 5 minutes ago.

"My friend gave me a surprise visit," I said simply.

Jeremy frowned and asked, "Who is this friend of yours? Is it that Janco guy?" I shook my head no.

"It was Tayla, my best friend from South Africa." He observed me for a moment.

"You don't seem too pleased," he observed.

I shook my head and tried to think of an excuse. It had to be believable to both my new friends and Tayla. "No, not at all. Like sure, I missed Tayla, she's my best friend after all. But Tayla doesn't know I have a half sister, aka Kerri. And Tayla wasn't supposed to know where I moved to," I explained, distraught. "She's going to be really mad when she finds out I've lied to her all these years," I added.

I wasn't completely lying, either. Tayla would feel completely and utterly betrayed. Tayla had the unfortunate ability to hold a grudge as if her life depended on it.

"Just explain it to her, Rissa. I'm sure she'll understand." I snorted at the brunette's response.

"If only it were that easy," I grumbled. "That girl can hold a grudge like no one's business." Jeremy chuckled lowly; a warm, sincere sound. I liked it.

"It seems as if you've got your hands full, Larissa. But you'll survive, I promise you," he said jokingly, but with an undertone of seriousness.

I half smiled at my friend. "And how can you guarantee my survival?"

He gave me a secretive smile. "You'll see at school on Monday."

I nodded, accepting his cryptic answer. I suddenly remembered something. "Hey, aren't you supposed to have a pounding headache?" I accused. "When I woke up, I could barely walk!"

He frowned. "I didn't get drunk, unlike the three of you," he said disapprovingly. I pouted playfully.

"Why not?" I whined. "We were supposed to have fun!"

"Oh I did have fun." Jeremy smirked, and added, "You threw yourself at me."

I could feel myself turning bright red. "That's not true!" I shrieked softly. "I have more dignity than that." I sniffed and, for effect, lifted my nose into the air.

Jeremy lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, so that's why you have a love bite on your neck?"

I gasped, horrified. My hands immediately flew to my neck and covered it. I didn't know it was possible, but I swear my cheeks heated up even more. "I do not have a love bite…do I?" I whispered fearfully, doubt colouring my voice.

Jeremy's lips twitched in amusement at my reaction. "It's not that bad. Come see for yourself," he suggested.

I accepted his hand and followed him as he pulled me to the downstairs bathroom. I was all for checking myself out in the mirror, but once I actually got there, the fear set in.

"What if it's huge and ugly?" I asked nervously, wringing my hands together. "Kerri is going to kill me!"

Jeremy laughed softly and grabbed me by my shoulders. He gently turned me to face the mirror, but I'd squeezed my eyes shut. I did not want to look in the friggen mirror!

"Come on, open your eyes," he coaxed playfully. "It's really not that bad."

"Do you promise?" I asked in a small voice. I felt Jeremy nod behind me. I hesitantly opened my right eye, and when I couldn't see anything, followed with the left one. I critically examined the left side of my neck for the offending bruise. It was quite large, quite ugly, and extremely obvious. I gasped and turned around to bury myself in Jeremy's arms. "You promised it wasn't that bad!" I cried into his chest, my voice accusatory and desperate.

"It's not!" he protested.

I pulled back and looked him dead in the eye. "Not large? Jer, it's the side of a **ing R5 coin!" Before he could ask, I added, "its South African currency."

"It's not that bad," he repeated.

"It is," I mumbled back into his chest. His arms around my back squeezed me gently.

"We'll fix this," Jeremy promised.

I wasn't sure how we could just make a love bite disappear, but in that moment in time I found myself believing him. Jeremy had turned into my best friend, after all.

~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~

10 am  
Six and a half hours later I found myself at the Grill. Jeremy had gone home to his sister. Cailey and Mike were still passed out. I didn't want to leave them alone in my house, but I'd gotten a text from Klaus's witch to meet him at the Grill, and I couldn't exactly tell him no.

So here I was. I was wearing dark washed denim shorts and light blue Chuck Taylor All Star converse. I also wore a light blue Superman top. On my right arm I wore a black beaded bracelet. Around my neck I wore tons of make up to cover the love bite, with my hair made up in a way to cover most of the bruise from sight.

"Good morning, Larissa," Jackson said as he slipped into the seat opposite me.

He still looked the same as always. I nodded at him and said, "Hey. What can I do for you, Jackson?"

The older man rubbed a hand over his face and took a sip of his coffee that I'd had the foresight to order. "I'm sure you know that this isn't a social call," he started slowly. "I'm worried about Klaus." I watched the older warlock closely.

"Why are you worried about the Original?" I asked curiously. "He seemed fine to me."

"Klaus has realized that the doppelganger is still alive," Jackson replied with a grimace. "And he's on his way to Mystic Falls right now to fix the problem and give your friends a bit of a scare." I paled immediately.

"Does Klaus know that we know about Elena being alive? And how did you know in the first place?"

"It's not important how I know," Jackson said harshly. When he saw me wince, he pursed his lips. "Klaus does not know, so we are safe. I made an appointment with you because I need your help in calming Klaus down when he arrives. I'm afraid that he's going to be every bit the freighting Hybrid his reputation warns of."

"Why me, though? He won't listen to what I have to say, Jackson. I'm only fifteen years old, and I'm not that talented at magic."

"Don't underestimate yourself, Larissa. The Nieuwoudt family bloodline is extremely strong. Why else would the Original vampires seek the Nieuwoudt witches' help the last few centuries?" Jackson said rhetorically. That was a good question.

"I honestly don't know, Jackson. My family's always been situated in South Africa as far as I know," I told him thoughtfully.

"That's right. Rebecca was the first to hear of your family from a witch she encountered in Africa. Rebecca was curious and travelled to Cape Town in South Africa to meet the warlocks. She was amazed at their magical abilities and immediately told her brothers. Since then, whenever one of the Nieuwoudt warlocks were needed, they were called upon by an Original. When Klaus heard a few years ago that a female Nieuwoudt possessed magical powers, he knew you were special. That was when he went to South Africa personally to meet you. When he came back, he told me all about you, and how you bonded," Jackson explained. His eyes bored into mine, and I knew he was completely sincere.

"What are you trying to say, Jackson? That Klaus will listen to me all because I'm the only witch in the Nieuwoudt family?" I asked sarcastically. It sounded ridiculous. Jackson shot me an irritated look.

"What I'm trying to say is that Klaus values your opinion. He trusts that your judgement will be correct."

"What do you want me to do, then, when he arrives?" I asked slowly.

Jackson was completely serious when he told me, "I want you to talk sense into him. Calm him down; tell him your thoughts on what is happening. Suggest alternatives to what he can do. Make him think, Larissa. Thinking is really important. But if you can't sway him in the end, assure him that you're still on his side. If he wants you to prove your loyalty, you will do as he says, no matter how hard it is. Do you understand me?"

I took a moment to allow all of the new information sink in. So Klaus was going to be extremely mad when he arrived, and I was the one who will calm him down. Okay, I can do that.

"I understand, Jackson. I'll do whatever he asks," I promised.

~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~

Jackson's visit had left me feeling nervous. The idea of an angry Klaus scared me, a lot more than I would ever admit aloud. I would also have to tell him about Tayla's arrival, and my mother's warning. I'd much rather tell Klaus, than have him find out some other way.

"Hey, stranger," Cailey's croaky voice said as she entered my kitchen. She was still dressed in her pjs.

"Morning," I replied. "How are you feeling?" I asked sympathetically.

"Like my head is going to explode," she mumbled. She took a seat at the table and rested her head on its cool surface. "How much did we have to drink, anyway?"

"I'm not sure," I told her as I filled a glass with water. I grabbed the Aspirin from earlier and handed two to Cailey. "We can go through the pictures my friend took in a while."

"How about never?" Cailey groaned as she quickly downed the rest of her water. "I hate pills," she complained. "Besides, I'm sure the pictures look horrible."

In the end we agreed to look at them only in a few days. Mike walked down the stairs looking like crap.

"I'm never drinking again," he vowed as he, too, grabbed some pills and a glass of water. "We're too young for that shit, anyway." I found myself agreeing.

"Are there any suggestions for what we should do today?" I asked in a false cheery voice that they didn't seem to notice. To tell the truth, after my talk with Jackson about Klaus I was extremely anxious for when he finally arrived in Mystic Falls. So I needed as much time off as possible.

"We could go to the mall," Cailey suggested hopefully.

"Or we could go watch a movie," Mike interjected.

Cailey scowled at the jock and then said. "How about we go to the mall, shop a bit, and then watch a movie?" I rolled my eyes and quickly shot down their ideas.

"Guys, we're not old enough to drive my car yet." Mike grinned at me.

"Oh really? Who says I'm fifteen?" he asked. "I'm actually sixteen. Plus, I have a licence." My mouth dropped open.

"No way," I cheered. "Okay we can go to the mall!" At their excited faces, I added, "On one condition: you help pay for the gas."

The two readily agreed, and soon we were all in our own worlds getting ready. Cailey chose to wear a quite simple outfit: a striped heart tee and black shorts, coupled with cute heart shaped earrings and black flip-flops.

"Now we sort of match," Cailey'd explained. "We are both wearing shorts and a tee!"

Um, okay Cailey. Whatever you say. Mike was dressed in simple jeans and a button down which, I was starting to guess, was his usual look.

The drive to the mall was quite entertaining. Our windows were wide open and we blasted Afrikaans music through my little car's cd player. We got a lot of strange (and dirty) looks, but we didn't really care. Having fun was all that truly mattered.

Firstly, we entered a cute little dress shop. When I looked at the price tags, the dresses weren't very cute anymore though, so we quickly left. Our next stop was this place called Black Swan, who specialized in black clothing. Mike picked out a dress each for Cailey and me, and sent us to go try them on while he waited.

My first dress I actually quite liked. It was a plain black dress that clung to my body like a second skin. It reached to mid-thigh. With it I quickly put on the stupid high heels Mike picked out and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked older, but I sort of looked like a hooker, too. I grimaced at myself (suddenly hating how I looked) and wobbly made my way out of the stall to show Mike.

He looked up as he heard my heels clicking, and glanced at my legs appreciatively. I scowled at him, and he just chuckled. "It looks good on you," he said honestly. "It makes you look two or three years older."

"Is that a good thing?" I asked doubtfully. "And are you sure it looks good? I feel like a cheap hooker," I mumbled and tugged at the dress self-consciously.

"It really looks great," Cailey said as she appeared next to me. I glanced at her and smiled at how nice she looked. She was dressed in a black strapless Paprika Bandeau Prom Dress. The skirt flowed out, and also reached mid-thigh.

"That's really pretty," I told her.

The blonde grimaced though as Mike tried to assure us we didn't look bad, but cute. "We don't want cute, Mickey," she told him seriously. I nodded empathetically.

"We're done with cute."

"We're grown up now," Cailey ended.

Mike watched us thoughtfully for a few seconds before sending us back to our changing rooms. "I'll bring both of you some clothes in a sec!" he called over his shoulder.

Cailey and I shot each other a look. Do you think he's gay? She mouthed at me.

I shrugged. I don't know. I doubt it, though, I mouthed back. She nodded thoughtfully and we went our separate ways. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I quickly stripped off the dress. While I waited, I decided to check myself out in the mirror.

I looked the same as always…except for that traitorous tummy I was starting to develop. I frowned at the sudden layer of fat on my stomach and poked at it. I'll have to lose that soon, I thought. I can't start to get fat now.

I know I sound stupid or whatever. But the truth was that, as I was growing up, I had a little bit of a weight problem. It wasn't that I was overweight or anything, but every girl in my school was scarily thin; they were like skin and bones. No joke. So here I came with a little bit of baby fat, and was made fun of for being different. So as I grew older I started to gym to get rid of that fat. Moving overseas didn't give me the excuse to stop working out.

I was interrupted from my thoughts when someone knocked on my door. Curious I walked over and opened it a little bit. A hand shoved through and handed me a set of clothes, which I quickly accepted.

"Just try this set on. If it looks good on you, the rest will, too," came Mike's muffled voice.

"Okay," I called to show that I understood.

"It's not sexy, though," Mike quickly said. "I just got something you don't usually wear!"

I was a little excited to see what Mike picked out for me, so I hung up each piece of clothing to carefully assess it. I was a little surprised to see that it was another dress, seeing as Mike knew that I rarely wore dresses. I was more of a jeans and hoodie type of girl. The dress was pretty simple; it was a cute dress with a small neckline and a skirt that flared out from beneath the bust, and reached a few inches above my knees. I found myself liking it, so I quickly tried it on.

It looked perfect on me, and it even hid the little bit of stomach fat I'd gotten. After redressing, I took the dress and walked over to Mike. "It's beautiful, Mike," I told him as I handed the dress to the saleswoman. "But I'm not going to take it." Mike's face turned into a dismayed expression.

"But it's so beautiful!" he protested. "You have to buy it, Larissa."

I bit my lip as I thought how I could explain to him exactly why I couldn't buy it. Finally, I quietly said, "I can't afford it, Mike. Besides, I have more than enough clothing as it is." Mike reluctantly nodded and we left the store.

"Wait, where's Cailey?" I asked concernedly, wondering where my little blonde friend was.

"She's with that Alex dude," Mike replied casually as we took a seat at some cafe I didn't bother to notice the name of. At my blank look, he laughed and helpfully added, "The comic geek from last night, the one you sent her to flirt with." My mouth formed an o in understanding.

"Oh, right," I said with a laugh, "Is he the one who gave her that nice red bruise on her neck?"

Mike smiled slyly at me and said, "You're one to talk, Larissa. You've got a pretty not-so-little bruise yourself." My hand immediately flew to my neck, and I cursed as I realized that I'd forgotten to put my scarf back on.

"Why didn't you tell me, Mike?" I hissed as I desperately tried to think of something to use to cover the offending bruise.

Mike seemed terribly amused by my mini-freak-out, earning him a death glare from me. "Relax," he chuckled as he rearranged my hair. "There, you can't see it when your hair is like this."

I breathed in deeply, held it for a few seconds, and blew out again. I was calm once more. "Thanks, Mike," I said quietly. Then I gave him a quick, awkward hug over the table. But then curiosity overcame me and I asked, "Who gave me the love bite, Mickey?"

Mike's jaw went slack and he stared at me with wide eyes. "You don't remember?" he spluttered. "Oh my gosh, this is hilarious!" he breathed out in between chuckles.

I narrowed my eyes at the jock in front of me. Mike's face had turned a deep red as he struggled to breathe though his laughing. "What? What is it?" I demanded, feeling panic once again returning to my body. My palms turned sweaty as anxiety squeezed me.

"You'll see on Monday," Mike finally said, after taking calming breathes. "You will see who Prince Charming is."

My BlackBerry started to ring, belting out "In The End" from Black Veil Brides. I glanced at the screen and frowned. It was from an Unknown Number. I shrugged and answered.

"Hello, this is Larissa speaking?"

"Where are you? I need your little witchy skills for something."

"I'm still mad at you," I said into the phone. "But I work for you, so when you call, I unfortunately have to do as you ask. So what can I do for you, Klaus?" My fingers twitched nervously as I waited for him to speak. Was he in Mystic Falls already? Did he know I was aware of the Doppelganger being alive?

"Where are you, sweetheart? I need to see you in person. What I need cannot be discussed over the phone...the walls have ears, love."

"I'm at the mall in Mystic Falls. But Klaus, I'm with friends," I warned him.

"No matter. Distract them, or whatever. Or I can just kill them." From the Original's tone, I knew he was being serious.

"You will not!" I said calmly, if a little nervously. "I'll see you in a moment."

The line went dead. I sighed and put my phone away. How the hell was I supposed to get rid of Mike long enough to have a chat with Klaus?

"What was that about?" Mike asked with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't know you had a job." His brown eyes bored into mine.

"I have a job, had it since I moved to Mystic Falls. But listen Mike, I'm really sorry to ask this, but can you give me a moment? My boss is upset with me and needs to sort something out. He's coming here, and he'll be here soon. But it won't be long, I swear." I brushed my fringe out of my eyes as I waited for Mike to reply. The blonde slowly nodded.

"That's fine. I'll be over at the music store, alright?" he said. Mike stood up and, just before he went, gave my shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "Good luck."

I watched the blonde's retreating back with a feeling of dread. Now that he was gone, Klaus was going to come and who knew what was going to happen then? I still had to tell him about Tayla's arrival in Mystic Falls, and about my mother visiting me in my dream. I wasn't looking forward to it.

The waiter came and I ordered two coffees, not really sure if Klaus even drank coffee. Oh well, if he won't drink it I certainly will.

"What are you thinking so deeply about, love?" a voice asked.

I started and watched as the Original hybrid took Mike's previous seat. He was dressed casually, and I found myself liking his leather bracelets. "Um, not much," I mumbled. Klaus nodded and smiled at the waitress as she handed us our coffee.

"What's bothering you, Larissa? And do not tell me it's nothing; I know you better than that." I sighed and took a sip of my coffee to give me some time to think of a response. I couldn't find an easy way to tell him, so I just said the truth.

"My mom visited me in a dream and threatened me with the Spirits. Oh, and my best friend from South Africa turned up at my doorstep at three in the morning."

Saying Klaus looked angry was a serious understatement. He looked positively furious.

"Your best friend is here?" he asked in that scary calm voice he sometimes used. "What, may I ask, is her name?" I gulped nervously.

"Her name is Tayla Bridger," I said carefully. "I talked about her a few times when you visited me."

"Ah, the blonde model friend who is known for the grudges she holds," Klaus mused. He seemed less angry now, which was a relief. "How did she find out where you live?" Darn, now I'd have to tell him about Janco, too.

"Some guy I know from South Africa was on the same flight as I was. He's moved to Mystic Falls too, which was a coincidence. If I have to guess, I'd say he told her." At Klaus's pointed look, I added, "His name is Janco Ebersohn."

The Original was silent for a torturously long time. His eyes regarded me thoughtfully, and after a while he finally asked, "Will they cause any trouble?" I barely stopped myself from sagging with relief.

"No they won't, I swear Klaus."

"If they do, I will compel them," he warned.

I nodded and agreed that it was the best. I took a quick sip from my cup as I waited for Klaus to move on to the next subject.

"What did your mother tell you? How is it that she has the ability to visit you in your dreams if she was merely a normal human?" the Hybrid asked.

I had no clue. How the heck was I supposed to answer that, Klaus? "I'm not sure, Klaus. She warned me to right a wrong, or something, and that if I don't do it the consequences would be great. She also told me that the Spirits were angry with me for what I did." I grimaced and once again pushed my fringe out of my eyes. Jeez, it was irritating. I really need to cut my hair again.

"What are you going to do about this situation?" the Original asked thoughtfully.

"I know I'm supposed to right this wrong, but what does that even mean?" I worried. Then, before Klaus could ask, I went on. "My cousin was killed by Janco, the guy I mentioned earlier. I never told anyone about it, and Janco wasn't accused of murder."

"Why did he kill your cousin? Ah wait, let me guess. He triggered a werewolf gene, didn't he?" Worry entered my heart as I started to realize where Klaus's thoughts were headed.

"Yes, he's a werewolf Klaus. But you cannot change him, at least until you've figured out why your Hybrids aren't successful." Klaus froze suddenly, and I wondered what I said wrong.

"How do you know about my Hybrids, Larissa?" His voice was barely controlled.

I swear my heart stopped beating for a second as the Original stared into my eyes suspiciously. But I calmed down when I remembered he, in fact, had told me.

"You told me when we were on our way to meet Stefan, remember," I reminded him. "You told me all about the Doppelganger and your ritual." The suspicion slowly left Klaus' eyes and his tense body relaxed.

"I'll need your help tomorrow night," he said suddenly. "Be at the school at eight. No questions asked, Larissa."

He was gone before I could even agree. I was left blinking at the spot where he'd been only moments before. What is it with people randomly leaving in the middle of our conversation? I thought dazedly.

I was broken out of my thoughts when my phone buzzed with a text. I frowned when I saw it was from Klaus.

Nice little mark on your neck, Larissa.

Aw darn it; he saw the friggen love bite.

~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~

Tayla  
"You need to come back home, immediately."

I smiled at his over-protective tone and twirled the phone cord around my finger. But I didn't want to go home, not yet. I've only just found Larissa and I wasn't going to leave her so soon.

"We've been over this," I reminded Gabriel gently. "I'm staying here for a while. Besides, you have no right to tell me what to do, you're just my ex." I knew he hated it when I reminded him that we dated once.

"I'm your other best friend, too," he said with a growl. "Look Tay, you now I love you…you're my best friend, and I only have your best interests in mind. Because of that, I need you to come home. Get away from Mystic Falls, and come back home to me and your friends." At my silence, Gabriel sighed and added quietly, "Larissa's moved on. You need to accept that now, sooner rather than later."

I stayed silent, hoping that if I avoided answering him, he'd disappear. However much I wanted to deny what he said, I knew it to be true. Gabriel did care for me, and he would never be this adamant about something if he wasn't being completely serious. And Larissa really was moving on, and he was right: I needed to accept that. It didn't make leaving her any easier, though. She was still the girl closest to my heart, no matter what happens.

"Tayla, are you there?"

I cleared my throat and quickly said, "Yeah, I'm still here." Not in the mood to talk to Gabby anymore, I added, "I've gotta go, Gab."

"Don't you dare put the phone down now, Tayla Nicole Bridger! I'm not done talking to you yet!" Ugh, I didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. But Gabriel was always there for me, so I guess I could chat a little but longer.

"Fine, I won't go yet," I said reluctantly.

"So um…how is," he cleared his throat, "How is Larissa doing?"

My heart squeezed at the pain I could clearly hear in his voice. I knew they weren't on speaking terms, which made this a lot worse.

"She's doing great," I finally told him. A smile played on my face as I said, "I barged into her house at like half four in the morning, only to help nurse her hangover. Can you believe that? Gosh, it was hilarious…"

I babbled on for the next hour, and that night I went to bed with a smile. Now that I had my best friend back, everything was going to be okay.

Looking back now, I cursed myself. I just had to jinx it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Number of words: 5 993**

**IMPORTANT: THIS IS UNBETA'D! ALL MISTAKES ARE MINE!**

Chapter Eight – Whispers

Monday

"So, when do I get to know who the mystery guy is?"

"Just wait till lunch," was the annoyed response.

"But lunch is still so far away," I whined. "Just tell me, Mike!"

The jock rolled his eyes and shook his head. His cheeks were flushed.

"Yes, tell us Mike! I want to know, too," Cailey chimed in. Seeing Mike shaking his head, she tried her luck with Jeremy next. "C'mon Jer, _please_?" she begged.

Jeremy seemed uncharacteristically moody today. A dark scowl was sent at Cailey, immediately shutting her up. "You can wait," he snapped.

"What's wrong with him?" Cailey whispered into my ear. The blonde seemed genuinely hurt by Jeremy's cold attitude this morning. He'd been this way since the moment he arrived at Mike's house, fifteen minutes later than we'd previously agreed upon. He was dressed in dark clothing today, which may be because of his mood, but who knows?

"I dunno," I whispered back. "Maybe Elena is being a bitch to him?"

"Nah, she looks too nice to be a bitch."

I snorted at the blonde's reply and decided to silently watch as our group continued to walk along the road. Our group consisted of me, Cailey, Jeremy, and Mike. Mike was supposed to give us all a lift today, but halfway to school his car broke down…so here we were, _walking_ to school.

"I swear to Merlin, if it starts to rain…" Cailey trailed off threating. I smiled as I remembered her love for Harry Potter, which started like two days ago. That reminded me; we still had to go through my camera to look at the pictures from Friday night…

"What will you do, Cay?" Mike piped up. He grinned at her dark look.

"If it rains, I'm gonna castrate you for making us WALK to school," Cailey said quite seriously.

Mike paled somewhat, though his confidence quickly returned. "You wouldn't, you love me too much."

Mike's reply caused Cailey to scoff. "That's what _you_ think," she muttered, loud enough for only me to hear. I laughed softly and bumped my shoulder into hers'. "Cheer up, Cailey. It won't rain."

You know what happened next? It started _pouring_. Like, the rain hit our bodies like icy shards, which was quite painful.

Cailey screamed and started running. "OH MY GOD, YOU JUST HAD TO JINX IT, DIDN'T YOU?!" she yelled over her shoulder.

"SORRY!" I yelled back. I grimaced and started running too, not wanting to be left behind. Pretty soon I was starting to have difficulty breathing normally, so I slowed down to a light jog. What was the point of running, anyway? We were already soaked to the bone. I noticed Jeremy slowing down ahead of me and waiting for me to reach him. I smiled gratefully and slowed down to a fast-paced walk. Jeremy didn't say anything, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. I wanted to ask him what was bothering him, but was hesitant to do so. I didn't want him to blow up at me. I cleared my throat to break the slightly awkward silence, and said, "We're never gonna be on time for first period."

Jeremy simply shook his head. I glanced at the brunette through my peripheral vision, studying him critically. Jeremy's soaking clothes stuck to his body like a second skin, but it didn't seem to bother him too much. I noticed the heavy bags beneath his eyes and frowned, worry entering my system. What _was_ up with him?

After another few minutes of silence, I decided I've had enough, and started to jog again. As soon as I was ready, I sped up until I was sprinting. The whole way I made sure to keep my breathing as steady as possible, knowing that by doing that, I'd be less tired out later.

I finally reached Mystic Falls High School and jogged to the office door. The rain was still unforgiving, and the wind harsh, so I had some trouble opening the door. As soon as I wrestled the door shut behind me, I sagged with relief. Wow, what a friggen mission!

"LOOK, LARISSA IS HERE! Now you can see we _weren't_ lying, Mr Colt!" Cailey cried.

I looked up from the floor to assess what was happening. An angry Mr Colt (the vice-principal) was holding a bunch of towels in his arms and glaring at Mike and Cailey, who both looked like drowned rats. Cailey's makeup had run down her face, making her look kind of scary. If I had to guess, I'd say I didn't look any better. "What is the meaning of this?" Mr Cole demanded. "Why are you so late?" he directed this question at me.

"I'm sorry, sir, I got caught up-"

I was rudely interrupted. "If I wanted an excuse, I would've asked for one, Miss Nieuwoudt!" he snapped. "You arrived a whole ten minutes after these two! What should I do with you now?"

"Let us go with a warning?" I suggested hopefully.

"You have missed three classes, and you want me to let you go _with a warning?_" he said in a deadly calm voice, making both me and Cailey wince.

"No, sir, I guess not," I said weakly. A shiver wracked through my body, and only now did I notice how loudly my teeth were chattering. Bloody hell it was cold! A towel caught me off guard and hit me in the face. I clenched my jaw to keep myself from giving Mr Cole a piece of my mind. That had been totally uncalled for, and unprofessional. I thought the vice principal would be more…I don't know, _polite_, maybe? Clearly not, in the case with Mr Cole.

"I'll have to think of your punishment. It's lunch right now-"

Jeremy's arrival interrupted Mr Cole, who glared daggers. "DETENTION!" he snapped, his eyes slightly crazed. "Detention_, all of you_, for the next month! DISMISSED!" The remaining towels were thrown to the floor in a clear fit of anger. Mr Cole spun on his heels and stormed out of the office.

There was a moment of silence.

The next moment the four of us burst out laughing.

"Immature, much?" Mike joked.

I hummed in agreement and started towel drying myself. As I was drying my hair, a thought suddenly occurred to me. "Guys…where's our school bags?"

A moment of silence was followed by a chorus of "SHIT!" I felt like slapping myself.

"I think our bags are still in Mike's car!" Cailey complained. She sent a glare at the jock standing next to her. He lifted his arms and said, "Hey, it's not my fault! None of us have our bags, Cailey, so don't go blaming just me."

"Mike is right," Jeremy spoke up. "Besides, if we had taken our bags, our books would be ruined by now."

"Never mind my books," I groaned. "My poor Blackberry is dead!"

"Try to switch it on," Mike suggested. "Maybe it still works?"

Feeling doubtful, I did as my friend suggested. To my surprise, it worked! "I can_not_ believe my luck right now!"

After checking the rest of the phones, we learned that Cailey's was still in her bag, Jeremy's was too, and Mike was in need of a new cell.

After we were all dry (or as dry as we could get) we just stood staring at each other. "What are we supposed to do now?" I asked.

Mike's stomach growled loudly. Cailey snickered and I grinned. "Let's get lunch, shall we?" she suggested.

I walked behind the group, opting to listen as they joked with one another. Jeremy seemed to be in a better mood now, for which I was grateful. I just wanted to know why he was so grumpy in the first place.

"Hey, so are you gonna tell us who the mystery guy is now?" Cailey asked suddenly.

I perked up and moved so that I was walking next to Cailey. I quickly stopped her and wiped off a smudge of make-up underneath her eye. "Thanks," she muttered. I nodded and watched as Jeremy and Mike gave each other a look. "Come on, out with it!" I said impatiently.

"Fine," Jeremy said. "You can tell her, Mike."

Dark brown eyes widened in horror. "No way, man. You tell her!"

Just then someone crashed into Cailey, who was standing next to me, sending her sprawling to the ground. My mouth dropped open in shock. "What just happened?"

Jeremy glared at the guy also collapsed onto the ground. "You're a real jerk, Nathan," he told the raven-haired guy. Then, turning to me, Jeremy said, "This is the guy who gave you that mark on your neck." If I wasn't mistaken, there was a little bit of jealousy in Jeremy's voice. But why?

Nathan, who had managed to once again find his feet, flushed a deep red. After standing up, he quickly offered a hand to help Cailey up, which she accepted. She looked him up and down critically. "Not bad," she said to me in a stage whisper. I had to agree, he was good looking. And appeared to be, like, eighteen.

I smiled uncomfortably, feeling unnaturally warm all over. This was so embarrassing.

"Um, yeah… hi Larissa," he said uncomfortably. His dark blue eyes looked everywhere but at me, causing me to smile. At least I wasn't the only one embarrassed. "About Friday night…" he trailed off.

"I had a little too much to drink," I blurted. Wow, real smooth, Larissa.

Looking relieved, Nathan offered me a small smile. "Yeah, me too… It's not that you're not attractive, it's just. Um. I think you're a bit young for me and…"he stuttered.

Aw, he was so adorable! "I understand completely, Nathan, really. Let's just pretend that this never happened?" I suggested.

"Sounds like a great idea, Larissa. Anyway, um…I have to go now…bye!" and with that, Nathan disappeared.

"Oh my gosh, he's so cute!" Cailey gushed the second he was gone. "If he was younger…"

I nodded in agreement. "Too bad he pushed you to the ground, though. Are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly okay, thanks for asking," here, she sent a pointed stare at Jer and Mike. Seeing their irritated faces, Cailey added, "And he _did_ apologize."

"So, you don't like him?" this was asked by Mike. He shot a quick look at Jeremy which I couldn't understand. What was it with these people and _looks_? Jeez.

I shook my head. "He may be handsome, Mike…but he's just a stranger to me. I don't think I will ever date him." I shrugged, not sure how to explain myself. That was just exactly how I felt.

"That's good!" Mike said happily. He then walked over to me and slung his arm over my shoulder. "You're still _our_ little Larissa."

"Miiikkeeee," I complained, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, nothing," the blonde replied cheerfully.

I rolled my eyes at my strange friend as we continued walking to the cafeteria. Sure, he was strange…and everyone had their faults, but I still loved each and every one of these three.

**~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~**

**TIME SKIP, AFTER SCHOOL**

"Thanks again for giving me a ride, Elena," I said again.

The brunette smiled at me as we drove. Jeremy was seated next to me, and he seemed to be in an extremely good mood. It was a strange and somewhat stark contrast to this morning, but I liked seeing him smile. It made _me_ happy.

"It's no trouble, really Larissa," Elena said for the tenth time. "But before I drive you home, let me offer you a nice cup of coffee. Something tells me you've had a long day." The sympathetic look in her eyes immediately let me know that she heard the rumours.

I blushed as Jeremy shot me a questioning look. Yeah, I've had a bad day, alright. But I wasn't about to tell _anyone_ about it. Rumours were bound to pop up, anyway. "Um, that would be amazing, thanks." And to think that I didn't like Elena at first. She was actually super nice.

The rest of the drive to the Gilbert's was filled with Jeremy trying to get me to talk. I wasn't in the mood for talking, though. I never want to experience a day like today, ever again.

Five minutes later Elena parked her car. I climbed out silently and followed her into the house. "Would you like a change of clothes?" she asked me. "I heard from Jeremy that you and your friends had gotten caught in the rain."

"I doubt I'm your size…" My brows furrowed. I mean come on, Elena was like super thin.

"I have some loose fitting clothing, you know," she said with a laugh. I decided not to argue and followed her up to her room. "Here, take these. If they don't fit, I'll get some of Jer's clothes." Elena handed me a pair of jeans and a red tank top, and asked, "Oh, and do you want a hoodie or-"

I interrupted her. "A hoody is fine, thanks." I accepted the clothing and walked to the bathroom to get dressed. I noticed it was once again one of Jeremy's hoodies, which caused me to smile. When I was done, I followed the sound of talking and walked into the kitchen. My eyebrows rose when I saw Mr Saltzman talking to Jeremy quietly. I'd forgotten that he had moved in. The pair stopped talking when they noticed me standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Hi, Mr Saltzman," I said casually. He nodded at me with a slight smile, which I returned as I walked over to Jeremy. "Thanks for the hoodie," I said. "Batman is super awesome."

He smiled gently at me. "You look good in it," he said. His eyes were intense as he stared into mine. Butterflies appeared in my gut, and suddenly I didn't know what to do. I mean come on; this is Jeremy for Pete's sake. _Jeremy_. So, taking an imaginary deep breath, I grinned cheekily at him. "Thanks!"

My Blackberry started to ring. "Sorry," I apologized to Mr Saltzman and Jeremy. "It will take a minute!" I purposely ignored Mr Saltzman's knowing look as he watched me and Jeremy interact with each other. I cleared my throat and said brightly, "Hello, Larissa speaking."

"Larissa, thanks for finally answering," Klaus said dryly.

"Sorry…I was at school, you know."

"School ended half an hour ago, love," the Original replied.

I rolled my eyes. "I was getting dressed. Don't even ask. Anyway, how can I help you?"

"We need to meet, now."

"I can't, I'm at Jeremy's house right now."

"Good. I'll just talk to you over the phone, then," he said in his scary cheerful voice. The Original stayed silent for a moment. "You never showed up last night." His voice had a hint of anger in it, causing me to wince.

I felt like slapping myself. How the hell could I forget a meeting, with Klaus of all people? Er, vampires. Whatever. "I'm so sorry, Nik. I completely forgot!" I exclaimed. "Was it important?" I asked somewhat pathetically. Of course it was important, you idiot, I scolded myself.

"Yes, it was. I'd realized that the Doppelgänger was still alive."

I froze. Crappppp! "Oh?" I asked faintly.

"Yes," he replied coolly. "And I _also_ found out that you knew she was alive, too, and did not tell me."

"Look, Nik, I hadn't realized-"

The line went dead. Oh…oh jeez…Klaus was seriously pissed off. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. I was dead meat.

"Larissa, are you alright?" Jeremy asked with concern. "Who was that?"

I bit my lip and opened my eyes. I didn't really want to lie, so I just said, "It was Nik."

"Your brother Nik?" he questioned. "Wasn't his name Nico or something?"

I opened my mouth to deny it, but then realized that this was actually an opening. So, taking this opportunity, I nodded. "He wanted me to phone him last night, and I'd completely forgotten. Nik – Nico, I mean – was quite upset." I worried my bottom lip between my teeth.

"I thought you two weren't on speaking terms?" Elena asked. I jumped, not having realized she was in the room. Elena looked a little bit confused, but seemed happy that I was once again talking to "Nico".

"Um, we aren't really. But it was something about my dad."

They seemed to notice my reluctance to talk, so Elena instead handed me my coffee. I smiled in thanks. An awkward silence then settled in. "Let's go to my room, Larissa," Jeremy suggested suddenly.

Ignoring the looks that Mr S and Elena were giving us, I quickly followed Jer up the stairs and to his room. I placed my mug on his desk and collapsed onto his bed. I breathed in the clean scent deeply. "Your bed is so comfy," I mumbled.

"It's not _that_ comfy," Jer said with a chuckle.

"Mmhmm," I replied, feeling suddenly very sleepy. "I think I'm gonna close my eyes for just a little bit, 'kay?"

In answer, Jeremy lifted his duvet from under me and covered me with it. I smiled as I felt his hand smooth my hair, and drifted off into the world of sleep.

"_Did you hear…?"_

"_That Larissa Nieuwoudt kissed _Nathan York_? YES, I did!" _

"_How could she? Nathan doesn't date, everyone knows that!"_

"_Nathan is too good for her. She's just a silly little girl from South Africa…she doesn't know anything."_

"_Did you see the mark on her neck?"_

"_Ugh, yeah. What a skank."_

"_What does he even see in her?"_

"_Larissa, did you hear anything I just said?" Cailey demanded, breaking my concentration._

_I shook my head, my cheeks flaming. "No, sorry Cailey…it's just…the whispers…" I bit my lip, feeling extremely uncomfortable._

_Cailey frowned. "They're just jealous that you got to make out with Nathan. You should just ignore them, Larissa." _

_I knew she was right, but it didn't make me feel any better. In fact, it made me feel even worse. "It's easy for you to say, Cay, but if the whispers were about you…you'd go crazy, believe me."_

"_We were _drunk,_ Larissa," Cailey said quietly, but firmly. "Fuck the rest of them, okay? Don't listen to what they are saying, because it's not true, okay?"_

_I nodded mutely. "Okay," I repeated. _

"_I heard they slept together…"_

"_I kind of hope that they didn't use protection. Then she'll get pregnant and be forced to leave."_

"_Stupid bitch needs to fall in a ditch and die."_

_The last one caused tears to well in my eyes. What had I ever done to them?_

"Larissa… hey Larissa, wake up. It's just a dream…" Jeremy said quietly.

My eyes opened and I realized that I was crying my eyes out. "I-I'm sorry," I said as I wiped my eyes.

Jeremy's warm eyes stared into mine with genuine worry. "What's wrong, Larissa? Please tell me so that I can help you…I hate seeing you upset."

"I-it's nothing, honestly," I sniffled. "Just a bad d-dream."

I could see in Jer's eyes that he knew there was more to the story, but he thankfully let it go. What he did next surprised me. He laid down onto the bed next to me and pulled me into his side. He put an arm around me, allowing me to snuggle into his chest. The floodgates opened again and I cried into his chest. He whispered soft, soothing nothings into my ear as I continued crying.

After what felt like hours, my tears dried up and I was left feeling exhausted. I breathed in Jer's amazing scent, allowing it to calm me. "I'm here for you, Larissa, always remember that. I'll protect you, I promise." He said it so quietly I was sure that he thought I was asleep. He squeezed me tight, and I felt warmth flooding my heart. Jeremy's always been so sweet to me, and he was always here when I need him…and with a start, I realized something.

Something huge, that I hadn't noticed before.

I liked Jeremy. As in, falling-in-love-with-him, liked.

And you know what? I didn't care. I liked him, and maybe he liked me too. Only time would tell.

As if in answer to my thoughts, Jeremy pressed a kiss to the corner of my lips. I smiled slightly and finally allowed myself to drift off.

**~IYCSMN~IYCSMN~**

**Tuesday**

Whispers followed me wherever I went. There was just no escaping it. The first three periods today had been horrible. I'd been bombarded by questions, and someone even had a photo of me and Nathan making out. I wanted to crawl into a hole and never ever get out again. Why were people so worked up about this? I'd been drunk, for heaven's sake, and it was one night only! Wasn't I allowed to kiss anybody?!

And Cailey and Mike weren't any help, either. In fact, they both avoided me like the plague. Why? I didn't know, either. They were probably afraid of getting a bad reputation or something silly like that.

To make matters even worse, I haven't seen Jeremy all day. The last I saw him was when he dropped me off at Kerri's house. He'd pretended that he hadn't kissed me, which was understandable, I guess, since I pretended to be asleep. But still!

I stopped walking suddenly as I saw Elena standing next to Jeremy. They appeared to be arguing. Think about the devil, and he shall appear, I thought somewhat bitterly. I leaned against a random locker and watched them argue. My eyebrows rose as I heard the names Stefan and Klaus, and then for some reason, my own. Slight warning bells went off in my head. They couldn't know of my involvement with Klaus, could they? No. Apparently something big had happened last night, something about Stefan going completely crazy? I wasn't sure.

Jeremy stopped talking suddenly, and I realized he'd noticed me standing there watching them with a blank face.

He said a quick goodbye to his sister and came my way. "Hey, 'Ris. What's up?"

"Not much, just a little tired. But I saw you and Elena arguing, so is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sure," was his unconvincing reply. Smooth, Jer. I shrugged and started to walk away. "Larissa, wait!" He started to walk towards me, but I shook my head and turned around. I got the point; he didn't want to talk to me. Fine. I walked away, out of the school. I didn't have the energy to face anyone right now.

I walked to the spot where Jer and I usually met up at; my little spot in the middle of the woods, away from everyone. I just needed some time to myself to really think about things. I sighed as I sat down, resting my back against a tree trunk. How had things come to this? Klaus was furious with me…I hadn't even been in Mystic Falls for a month, and my reputation's already been ruined. I hadn't even asked for this. I wish I could just go back to South Africa and see all of my friends. I wish I could once again see Gabriel, the best guy friend who was there for me every step of the way, no matter what.

I took my BlackBerry out of my school bag, my old one, and switched it on. I knew the chance that Gabriel would answer was next to none, seeing as he was still upset with me, but I just had to try. One last time. I slowly punched in the number I knew by heart. I pressed the call button and put the phone to my ear. _Please answer, Gabby, I need you._

The dial tone rang, and I knew he'd ignored my call. I tried again, and this time it went straight to voicemail. "This is Gabriel. I can't get to my phone right now, so leave your name and number and I'll call you back. BEEP."

"Hey, Gab," I started. I chewed my bottom lip as I tried to think of what I could possibly say. "I know you're ignoring me, and I get that. I really do. I just…I needed to hear your voice. And I did, even though it was just your voicemail." I laughed wetly, shaking my head at myself. I was being so pathetic right now. "Some things have been going on at my new school. People are spreading rumours about me because of one little mistake I made. One mistake, Gabriel, one mistake I made when I wasn't even in my right state of mind. I got drunk, Gab, and I know you're probably disappointed in me. But being drunk for a few hours actually made me forget all the bad things in my life, and I was able to have fun. I even kissed the most untouchable senior in my school! But you see…that's where the stories started. I'm now known as a whore, Gab…and I hate it. I wish I could just turn back time and refuse to climb onto the Airplane that took me out of South Africa. I just want to go home. I miss-"

The phone beeped, letting me know that my time was up. My face got all pinched up as a wave of hurt rolled through me. I drew my legs up and hugged them to my chest. Everything was wrong, and right now I didn't want to return to the real world.

Two hours later, I heard footsteps crashing through the woods. The steps were heavy, so I knew it wasn't Jeremy or Mike's. The first thing I noticed was the fancy shoes, and then as my eyes travelled up and took in the suit and fancy spectacles, I sighed. "Hi, Mr Webber," I said softly.

My English teacher nodded at me. "So this is where you've been hiding all day, Larissa?" he asked me. He glanced around the clearing and then back at me, clearly impressed. "It's beautiful."

"I know, Mr Webber, that's why I come here."

My English teacher surprised me when he took a seat on the wet ground next to me. "Now I know you wouldn't just skip class for anything," here he sent me a look daring me to correct him, which caused me to smile faintly. "So what is the matter? What's bothering you, Larissa?"

I searched his eyes, not sure what I was looking for. "Why are you here, Mr Webber?" I asked instead. "Don't you have a class to teach?"

"I do," he agreed. "_Your_ class, in fact. You have double English today, and I noticed you weren't there. So I gave the class some work to do and set out to find you. I was quite lucky to find you here."

"Oh… and how did you know to find me here, sir?" I asked.

"You once drew this very clearing on the back of an essay you did. I recognized it, and I decided to try my luck."

I stayed silent for a while, just thinking. Finally I asked, "Am I in trouble?"

"No, Larissa, not at all. I think the teachers all understand…"

"Understand what? That I'm an outcast, now?"

"That you're still adjusting," he said pointedly. "Everyone has setbacks, Larissa, and this just happens to be yours."

I snorted. "A setback? More like the end of my world."

Mr Webber shook his head. "Don't think like that. Things should start to look up soon. And if it doesn't, I will have a word with the faculty and demand that they do something about the gossip and bad-mouthing going on. I swear to make this go away." From his tone of voice, I knew he was being serious.

"Why do you care?" I asked. I didn't say it in a snappish way, but softly. I really wanted to know why he'd go through all this trouble for me.

He smiled somewhat sadly. "I know this will sound weird, and maybe even creepy. But my little sister looked just like you. The same hair, eyes…everything. You remind me of her."

My heart ached for Mr Webber. "What happened to her?" I asked gently.

"She…she got abducted when she was around your age. That was almost fifteen years ago. She'd be 29 now."

"I'm sorry, Mr Webber. I wish I could help in any way that I could." I truly felt helpless as I stared at my teacher. My young teacher who couldn't be over 40 years old.

Mr Webber smiled at me and patted my hand. "Are you ready to go back to school?"

I sighed and nodded my head. "I can't stay away forever, can I?"

He shook his head as he stood up. I accepted his hand and brushed myself off. "No, you can't. It doesn't help to avoid your problems, Larissa…it's better to just deal with them and move on."

Wise words from a wise man, I thought.

We arrived back with fifteen minutes left of my English period. It was almost lunch, but Mr Webber still insisted that I go to class. I dragged my feet all the way but didn't once complain. Instead, I decided to be grateful. Mr Webber had managed to make me feel better, even if it was just a little bit. He showed me that, no matter what, I had to move on. These cruel words will blow over, and I would be able to live a semi-normal life again.

I hope.

When Mr Webber and I entered the classroom, I felt a dozen set of eyes burning holes into me. I lowered my eyes to the floor and took my usual seat at the front of the classroom. Mutters started but Mr Webber sharply told them to "Be silent!"

_Thanks, Mr Webber_, I thought. _You're seriously the best teacher ever._

The rest of the day dragged on. To make matters even worse, I had detention today, with the group of "friends" who had been avoiding me _All. Day. Long._ I stopped in front of Mr Saltzman's class and groaned. He just _had_ to be my detention teacher, didn't he?

Mr S looked up as I entered the classroom. "You here for detention?" he asked. I nodded and handed him my detention slip. He whistled and said, "Detention for a whole month? That's impressive, Larissa. What did you do to anger Mr Cole?"

I shrugged. "Missed three periods. Today, too."

Mr S winced sympathetically. "Ouch. Don't mind Mr Cole. He's moody…100% of the time. Well you can take a seat anywhere, Larissa, and just…keep yourself busy. But no cell phones, okay?"

I nodded and took a seat way at the back next to the windows. I took out my notepad and decided to write a small letter to my Original Hybrid.

_**Klaus,  
I'm sorry for angering you, and lying to you. It was wrong, I know. And I know I should be punished for this. Just don't be too harsh, okay? But I'll understand if you are. Just make it quick.  
How can I make it up to you?  
- LN**_

I closed my eyes and concentrated hard. I pictured the letter arriving in Klaus's hand. After a few seconds, I felt a surge in my magic. When I opened my eyes, the letter was gone. I smiled with satisfaction. At least my magic hadn't left me…yet.

The arrival of Jeremy caused me to shift my attention to Mr S as they started quietly conversing. After a while, Jeremy sighed and looked at me. "Larissa," he started.

"Don't, Jer," I said quietly. "Just don't."

I heard Mr Saltzman quietly asking Jeremy what was going on, so I tuned them out and scrawled random quotes onto my notepad. The door once again opened, revealing a tired looking Mike and an annoyed Cailey. I immediately deemed them to not be worthy of my attention, at least not right now. They were followed by a few Goth kids, and a nervous looking Nathan. My eyebrows lifted in surprise, and I wondered what he did to land in detention. He immediately noticed me and, after handing Mr Saltzman his slip, walked over to me. He slid into the seat next to mine. I offered him a half-hearted smile.

"God, I'm so sorry Larissa," he whispered. His eyes looked pained, and I could just see that guilt was overwhelming him. "I never meant for this to happen. What they're saying about you is awful and completely out of line."

I was saved from having to reply by Mr Saltzman telling us to settle down and keep ourselves. "And no talking," he added unnecessarily.

Fine by me, I thought, and continued to doodle in my notebook. I felt surprisingly better now than I did this morning. I guess breaking down really did make a person feel better.

For the whole two hours that detention lasted, I could feel eyes boring into me. The Goth kids had no interest in me. Nope, it was Mike, Cailey and Jeremy. I think Nathan was still feeling guilty for he just quietly sat next to me.

As soon as Mr Saltzman said "Time's up," I was out of my chair and leaving the classroom. I think I would explode if I spent one more second with those eyes on me. I was also trying to avoid a confrontation from any of my friends.

Unfortunately, they caught up with me. I tried ignoring my three supposed friends, but Mike made that impossible as he grabbed my wrist. This caused anger to burn through me like a fire. "What?" I snapped. "Can't you just leave me the hell alone?"

Hurt flashed through Mike's eyes. "We just wanted to talk to you, Larissa."

I snorted. "Oh, so now that no one else is here I'm suddenly good enough for the three of you? Yeah, it doesn't work like that."

"We get that you're angry, okay, but-"

"But nothing." I interrupted Cailey. "You ignored me, okay? Do you know how that feels? To be ignored by your closest friends?" they clearly didn't get how hurt I was.

"We didn't mean to hurt you," Jeremy said quietly.

Genuine regret showed in his eyes. But you know what? I didn't give a damn. "Well you did. I'm done talking to all of you. Don't bother me, understood?" I gave each of them a hard glare.

A car rolled up behind me, one I recognized as Klaus's. I was surprised, but I guess he didn't mind blowing my cover. I didn't even care that Jeremy was standing _right there_. Klaus's window rolled down. "Get in the car, sweetheart. It's time to go, and I am in a bit of a hurry."

I smirked at Jeremy's shocked face and climbed into the car. Just to be spiteful, I leaned over and pecked Klaus's cheek, lingering just a little longer than was necessary. "Thanks for fetching me, Nik. I've had a fucking terrible day, and seeing you just makes me feel a lot better." I was surprised at how true this statement actually was.

"Glad that I can help," Klaus replied. He revved his engine, and we tore out of MFHS's parking. We drove a few moments in silence. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"I was being spiteful," I replied bluntly.

"And the little kiss?"

I blushed, but tried to not let my embarrassment show. "Um, I wanted to get back at Jeremy."

Klaus hummed. "Trouble in paradise, I see." I decided to not dignify that with a response. "I got your letter," he said finally, after a few minutes. "And it made me think."

"And what have you decided?" I asked without emotion. Nervousness churned unpleasantly in my stomach as I tried to think up what my punishment would be.

What he said, however, hadn't been one of them.

"That it's time for you to go home."


	9. Chapter 9

**IMPORTANT: This chapter is unbeta'd. As soon as my beta gets back to me and she's edited the chapter, I'll replace the chapters.**

**Also, thanks for the review VampireJacinta!**

**Number of words: 3 651**

Chapter Nine – Al Maxton

_Klaus hummed. "Trouble in paradise, I see." I decided to not dignify that with a response. "I got your letter," he said finally, after a few minutes. "And it made me think."_

"_And what have you decided?" I asked without emotion. Nervousness churned unpleasantly in my stomach as I tried to think up what my punishment would be._

_What he said, however, hadn't been one of them. _

"_That it's time for you to go home."_

My mouth dropped open. He couldn't be serious! Sure, an hour ago I'd wished for the opportunity to return home. But now that it had been forced upon me, I didn't want it anymore. Stuff South Africa, I had a new life here!

"Don't even try to argue," Klaus said quietly. He must've noticed the panic in my eyes, and the increasing of my heartbeat.

"But Klaus-,"

"I told you not to argue with me, Larissa."

My throat started to close up. "Why?" I managed after a few seconds. "Why do you want me to go home? Because of me not showing up last night?"

Klaus's jaw clenched and it seemed as if something was genuinely upsetting him. "I saw what happened today… These people treat you like rubbish, yet you still call them your friends." He growled softly, "Why?"

"Everyone has their faults, Klaus," I murmured in reply. "They are just being immature. They'll get over it soon enough." I hope.

"I disagree with you," the Original said tersely. "They are _humans_, Larissa, and humans never grow up. _They_ will never grow up."

"I'm human, too!" I snapped. "Your argument is invalid, Klaus!"

His jaw clenched. "You are _not_ human! You are a _witch,_ Larissa Nieuwoudt. Don't ever forget that."

My irritation flared up inside of me, burning me like a veld fire. "Being a witch doesn't make me better than everybody else," I said slowly, my voice like ice. "In this world, we are all equals."

Klaus barked out a sarcastic laugh – which was totally unlike him. Klaus didn't bark. Ever. "I see you have forgotten your father's teachings. Do you not remember what he told you, every night?"

What-

It suddenly came back to me.

"_You're a witch, Larissa. You're better than everyone else out there. You're stronger than they are, and more dangerous. Never forget that." _

These words had been engraved into my very being since I was a little girl. I'd believed my dad; I'd believed that I was better than normal humans. I'd believed that, along with vampires and werewolves, we were the superior race.

But I didn't believe that, not anymore. The few short weeks spent with my friends had completely changed my mind. We were equals, in every way.

"Calm down, sweetheart. Let's leave this conversation for another time."

I swallowed my angry retort and nodded silently. There was no use in angering Klaus any more than he already was.

Half an hour passed, and with it my anger slowly melted away to resignation. I couldn't change Klaus's mind, no matter how much I'd wanted to.

"What was that display at school?" he asked suddenly. "The kiss in front of Jeremy and your friends."

I blushed. "Um… _Hey_, I could ask you the same thing!"

"I wanted to send a message," Klaus replied pointedly. "I wanted to show them that you belong to me. Not them, _me_."

The possessiveness with which he said that surprised me. "I thought you wanted me to be all undercover," I asked confusedly.

"Not anymore. Not after last night."

I perked up. I remembered Jeremy and Elena talking about something huge that had happened. Could this be the same thing? "Why?" I asked warily. "What happened last night?"

Klaus stayed silent for a long time. "I figured out that I have to use the Doppelgänger's blood to create my Hybrids. I gave them a little scare last night at school… Jeremy was a part of all of this, too. You can't trust them, Larissa."

"That's rich," I said snappily, "Coming from you."

"Didn't you hear what I just said? _Jeremy is part of this_, Larissa."

"So? I am too, Klaus. _You_ were the one who involved me."

"Yes, that is true," he said reluctantly, "But I would never hurt you, Larissa. You know that."

"Do I?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Klaus parked the car. He turned to face me then, his expression serious. "Yes, Larissa, you do." Here he narrowed his eyes to make sure I understood completely. I did. "I will _never_ purposely hurt you, I give you my word. I'll protect you from the world."

I opened my mouth to ask "Why," but in the end just nodded mutedly, accepting his word. Who was I to question Klaus? One thing I admired about the Original was that, no matter what, Klaus always kept his word. So if he said he'd never hurt me, he won't. If he said that he would always protect me, then I believed him.

I just didn't understand _why_.

"Well, we better get going," the Hybrid said. He opened his car door and climbed out. He was at my door in a flash and opened it for me.

"Thanks," I said and climbed out. I looked at the building in front of me. It was nothing special, but seemed to be a hotel of some sort. "Where are we?" I questioned.

Klaus started walking to the hotel. Not wanting to be left behind, I quickly followed. Klaus didn't answer, so I knew he wasn't going to tell me anytime soon. The Original approached the front desk. "Where can I find Al Maxton? He is expecting me." When the receptionist refused to answer, Klaus compelled the poor girl. "He is in room 452. Fifth floor."

With that Klaus led me to an elevator. "Why are we here, Klaus?"

"You'll see," was his unhelpful response.

I huffed. Luckily the ride didn't take terribly long, and soon we were standing in front of the mysterious room 452. Klaus lifted a fist and knocked three times. "Coming!" a muffled voice called. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a man. He looked to be in his late 30s, though I couldn't be sure. He was African American, and his body was tall and well-built. "Ah, Klaus," he said. His voice was dark and rich, which was pretty cool. He nodded at me. "Please, come in." He opened the door wider, allowing us entrance.

Huh, so this was Al. I allowed Klaus to enter first. When I entered the room, I wasn't sure what to expect. But a completely empty room wasn't it. What the stuff? Didn't the guy need a bed, or a bathroom or whatever? Clearly not, I thought.

"Al, this is the girl I told you about," Klaus was saying.

My witchy senses tingled. Hmm, what is it? I asked myself.

Al turned dark eyes to meet mine. "My name is Al Maxton," he said pleasantly. "Pleased to meet you, Miss."

I awkwardly took his offered hand in a handshake. "Pleasure is mine," I said, and quickly added, "Larissa Nieuwoudt."

"What can I do for the two of you?" Al asked as he took a seat on a beanbag that appeared out of nowhere. "Please, take a seat," he said. To my astonishment, another two beanbags appeared. Oh right, he was probably a witch/warlock/what_ever._

Impressive, I thought. I followed Al's example and took a seat. It was pretty comfy.

"I'm glad you like it, Larissa," Al said with a pleased expression.

Wha- "Did you just read my mind?" I demanded. _No-one_ was allowed to read my mind, dammit. It was mine and mine alone.

"I apologize," the African American said sincerely. "I do it unconsciously to make sure that my company is to be trusted."

"And what did you find?" I asked snappishly, more than a little miffed. "Am I trustworthy?"

"Now, now, sweetheart," Klaus interrupted. "Calm down. Al's here to help. You can't blame the man for simply being careful."

"I guess not," I grumbled. At Klaus's hard look, I twisted my lips. "I'm sorry," I said to Al.

"It's alright. To answer your question, yes you are trustworthy. But that is to be expected, what with Klaus bringing you here."

"Why _did_ you bring me here?" I asked the Original.

An amused smile played on Klaus's lips, immediately putting me on edge. What was the old man planning? "You're here for training, of course."

My mouth dropped open. "You have _got_ to be joking!"

"I'm afraid not," Klaus said. "I thought you could use the help. He may be able to help you with your nightmares, too."

Oh! I'd completely forgotten about my nightmares involving Janco and my mother. "How, though? And is it really necessary to do something about it?" I asked.

Al gave me a serious look. "If a normal human spirit visits you in a dream numerous times to warn you, it is definitely necessary to get help." He allowed me a few seconds to process this, and then requested, "Please tell me about your dreams."

I shifted on my beanbag as I thought of how to best answer the question. "Well, it's always about my mom," I started off unsurely. At Klaus's encouraging nod, I continued. "A few years ago, my cousin Jessie was dating a friend of mine named Janco. On his fifteenth birthday they'd had a falling out, and when I arrived at his home all I saw was blood." I paused as my throat constricted. I swallowed heavily. "I found Jessie's broken corpse in the backyard. My friend…he accidently triggered his werewolf gene."

Al stayed silent as he processed everything I told him.

"Then, as I see Jessie's body, it stands up and talks to me. She asks me things like why I didn't help her, or why I didn't tell anyone about her murder."

"_He killed me, Larissa," Jessie said again. Her bloodied face appeared in front of my own and she grabbed my shoulders. She shook me roughly as she cried, "He killed me and nobody knows! YOU NEVER TOLD ANYONE I WAS MURDURED!"_

_I winced and felt my own tears leaking down my cheeks. "I'm sorry, Jessie! I couldn't tell. Janco didn't kill you on purpose," I whispered._

_Her silver eyes blazed with fury. "It doesn't matter! Murder is murder AND I WANT JUSTICE!"_

"Larissa, are you alright?" Klaus's voice broke me out of my flashback.

I smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I was just remembering my dreams," I explained. I cleared my throat. "I try to defend myself while she goes on about me never telling anyone. Then, with a flash, I appear at this one beach back in my hometown."

_My mother stared down at me – her usually warm green eyes were hard and full of anger. "Why do you keep on protecting him, Rissa? He killed someone," she demanded. Her voice was strong and powerful; just like always._

After a few more seconds, I continued. "My mother is there, and…she warns me…about the Spirits being angry with me. She always ends with: "The Spirits are upset with you. Fix this, or there will be consequences.""

I stared down at my hands after I was done talking. I didn't have any desire to see what Al and Klaus now thought of me. I was horrible to never tell the Police that Janco killed my cousin… where was my loyalty? If I couldn't even be loyal to my cousin, how was I supposed to be loyal to the Original sitting next to me?

Al and Klaus exchanged a few whispered words. Finally, with a nod, Klaus left the apartment. "I'll see you in a few hours," was all he'd said before he closed the door behind him.

"Let's get to work with clearing you out. I'll have you sorted out in no time," Al said with a determined look in his dark eyes.

**Xxx**

It turned out that, in Al's vocabulary, "no time" translated to 5 hours. I'm not even exaggerating.

I lay on my back, panting, and stared up at the white ceiling. My body felt completely drained – of energy and magic. I had no idea how the hell Al managed to "clear out" my soul, but he did. And no, I didn't come up with that ridiculous name.

"Feeling better?" Al questioned in his deep voice.

"Y-yeah," I gasped out. "How the Hell did you do that?"

"Do what?"

Oh, so he was playing the innocent card, was he? "This," I said, and waved a tired arm over the length of my body. "Like, drain my magic? And why did you do it?" Now that I really thought about it, I was actually damn vulnerable without my magic.

And before you freak out and yell at me for having my magic drained, this is only temporary.

Or at least I hoped so.

"It's a secret that has been passed down in my family for centuries," Al said vaguely. "The reason why I drained you is because your magic is making you the victim of spiritual attacks. If this went on for another week, I'm afraid that you would have fallen into a coma caused by your magic trying to protect you. It is unlikely that you would've woken up."

My mouth gaped open at this news. "Oh my good_ness_, I could've died!"

Al rolled his eyes and offered me a hand to help me up. "Don't be so dramatic, La. If that had happened – if you'd fallen into the coma - Klaus would still have come to me and asked me to drain you."

I nodded as if I completely understood what he'd just said. Then something clicked in my mind. "Wait, did you just call me _La_?" I asked incredulously.

The African American offered me a sheepish smile. "I've grown rather fond of you in the last five hours. You should feel extremely honoured; very few people are important enough to me to receive a nickname. So, be proud of your name, my little La," he said in an overly affectionate tone of voice (which I knew was just to irritate me).

I grumbled. "Yeah, whatever. You don't even know me," I groused, waving my finger at him.

"Actually, I do." This surprised me. "While I was cleansing your soul, it meant that I had to sort through your every memory. Therefore, I know you."

My face flushed. "Every memory? As in, _everything?!_" I squeaked. Every moment I've ever had? First kiss? First date? Fights? Heartbreaks?

He smirked. "Yes. Everything."

Oh, Goodness. Life just hated me.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Um, so how does not having magic keep me from having the dreams?" I asked for the umpteenth time. I still couldn't really understand, not completely. Hey, blame it on me being blonde.

Al sighed long-sufferingly. "Magic is what connects you to your mother. Your mother is what connects you to the Spirits and Jessie. Therefore, if you don't have magic, then you don't have a crazy mother on your case that threatens you with the Spirits." He talked slowly, as if I was an idiot, which made me huff.

I nodded to show that I understood. I then asked the most important question of all, "When will I get it back?"

"When Klaus deems it necessary," was his vague response. Before I had the chance to demand an answer, he carried on talking. "It is now time to start your training."

"Um, Al, I don't have any magic."

I could practically hear the "No Shit, Sherlock" that he no doubt thought. "Doesn't matter. This doesn't require magic, as you'll only be learning techniques and new spells in theory," he replied. A glint entered his eyes. "Are you ready for a sleepless night?"

Great. Another night with absolutely no sleep!

The universe must hate me.

**xxxx**

"What day is it?" I asked tiredly as I climbed into Klaus's car. It felt as though I'd been training with Al for years, which was impossible. I think. I relaxed against the smooth leather and sighed. I was so tired.

"Friday," came the casual reply.

I sat up immediately. "FRIDAY? OHMYGOSH KLAUS IT'S FRIDAY!" I cried, horrified.

The Original seemed terribly amused as he said, "Yes, I know that."

I frowned at him unhappily. "You don't get it, do you? It's _Friday,_" I accused. "I've been gone for-for-for, like, forever!" for some reason, my mind didn't want to add up the days.

"Your point is?"

"My point?! The last anyone saw me, I was riding off into the sunset with you!" I said, clenching my fists. They probably think that I'm – I'm – DEAD! OR WORSE!

"Good. Maybe they will realize that you belong to me."

"I belong to no-one, Klaus, but myself."

"For all intense and purposes, you _do_ belong to me. I'm not saying this to sound like a piece of dirt claiming ownership over a woman, but you are under my protection. To me, that means that you're mine. _Mine_ to protect."

I swallowed at the intensity with which he said that. Did he really care that much about me?

The answer came immediately.

Yes. Yes, he did.

I stayed silent for the rest of the drive to Mystic Falls. I had a lot to think about. What was I going to do now that everybody knew that I was (for lack of a better word) involved with Klaus? Would they still talk to me, or would they write me off? I came to care a lot about the residents of Mystic Falls – and if they were to write me off completely, I wasn't sure how I would be able to make it through even a minute.

What was I going to do about Jeremy? I really liked him, and thanks to my little stunt on Tuesday, all of my chances of ever being with him, has been ruined. Add that to the fact that Klaus had claimed ownership over me…well, my situation was extremely bad. What did he think about all of this, anyway? Was he betrayed, angry…sad?

Then there was Elena, Damon, Caroline, and Bonnie (the important ones). What course of action were they going to take, now that they knew I was the enemy? Will Elena be able to forgive me? I really hope so.

If Damon decided to try and take a chomp out of my neck, I wouldn't be able to defend myself. Since I no longer had even an ounce of magic in my system, I was vulnerable to attacks. I was a mere human, an insignificant one at that.

And most importantly, how was I going to convince Klaus to allow me to remain in Mystic Falls?

_This is hopeless._ I sighed.

"Everything alright, love?"

No. "Yeah, I'm just tired. It feels as if I haven't eaten in days, which I haven't."

Klaus gazed at me thoughtfully. "I can give you a sip of my blood?" he suggested, completely serious. "You will feel brand new again, I assure you."

I blanched at the idea of drinking blood. Ugh, disgusting. "No thanks, I'm alright," I said, my disgust plain in my voice.

Klaus chuckled and asked, "How about going to a restaurant, then? My treat."

"A restaurant, Klaus? We're in the middle of nowhere!"

He smiled and nodded in front of him. Curious, I followed his gaze and gasped. "How the Hell are we already in Mystic Falls?" I exclaimed. "We've been driving for, like, five minutes!"

"It's been an hour, love. You were off in your own little world most of the time."

I was immediately embarrassed that the Original had noticed. "Sorry," I mumbled.

Klaus hummed and parked his car in a shaded area. "I don't want it to get damaged if a storm were to break out," he explained when he saw my look.

We entered the mall and walked to one of the cute little restaurants that I'd noticed on Saturday, but didn't have the time to explore. "You have good taste," I remarked as we were led to a small private table in the back.

"Of course I do," he replied with a smirk. "What do you want to eat, love?"

I eyed the menu. "Um… I'll take that lasagne thingy," I said, and pointed at said lasagne. I wasn't sure what it was, exactly, but it looked yummy.

Klaus gave the order to the waiter, who nodded and left soon after. "I ordered you a cappuccino, is that alright?"

"Thanks, I appreciate it," I said tiredly. "Um…when do I have to go back to South Africa?" I tried my best to keep my voice steady.

Klaus frowned as he thought for a few minutes. "I'll allow you to remain here for the remainder of the month, as I want to see if your nightmares have gone like Al had promised. That means you still have 27 days left here."

I opened my mouth to thank him, but words were lost on me. Instead, I allowed him a small grateful smile. I stilled when I felt a soft finger caressing my cheek. He wiped underneath my eyes and said softly, "Don't cry, Larissa. Please?"

This only caused the tears to spill more rapidly down my cheeks. I didn't exactly know why I was crying. Was it because I was sad to be leaving, or was it because I was grateful for the extra month I had here?

No. It was because Klaus cared so much about me, that he chose to give me a last month. A month to fix everything and make peace with my friends. Klaus could have sent me back to South Africa and sent someone with me to check up on my health. Instead, he decided to do it himself.

Who would have thought that Klaus had some humanity in him?


End file.
